48 Dead, Dozens Hurt in IS-Claimed Blasts across Syria
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 48 people and wounded dozens in mainly government-controlled areas of Syria on Monday, a day after IS lost the last stretch of the Syria-Turkey border under its control.
The deadliest in the wave of blasts was a double bombing in the coastal province of Tartus, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad's government.
The bombings hit the Arzuna bridge outside the provincial capital of Tartus city, killing at least 35 people and wounding 43, state media said.
Tartus has been largely spared the worst violence of Syria's conflict since it began with anti-government protests, and has become a refuge for many Syrians fleeing the fighting.
In the northeastern city of Hasakeh, mostly controlled by Kurdish forces, a bomber on a motorbike killed six members of the Kurdish security forces and two civilians.
- 'Simultaneous attacks' -
In central Homs city, the target was the al-Zahraa neighborhood, whose residents are mostly from the same Alawite sect as Assad and have regularly been targeted.
Four people were killed there in a car bombing that hit a checkpoint at the district's entrance.
State television broadcast images of the aftermath, showing rubble strewn on the streets and smoke rising from the charred remains of vehicles.
Another attack hit the al-Sabura road west of the capital Damascus, with state media saying one person was killed and three wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said that attack targeted a checkpoint and killed three people.
The IS-affiliated Amaq agency carried a statement saying the jihadist group was behind a "string of simultaneous suicide attacks."
Syria expert Thomas Pierret said the attacks were part of a new IS "strategy... to 'seduce' rebels by demonstrating IS' capacity to strike the regime."
"IS also wants to whip up sectarian tensions for its benefit and is counting on more of these events to mobilize its supporters in these regions," he told AFP.
The latest violence came a day after Turkish forces and allied rebels seized the last part of the Turkish-Syrian border under IS control.
The operation -- dubbed "Euphrates Shield" -- pushed further into IS territory on Monday and captured another five villages, the Observatory said.
Turkey began an operation inside Syria on August 24, targeting both IS and Syrian Kurdish forces that have been a key U.S. partner in fighting the jihadist group in Syria.
05 September 2016, 12:07
92
Another reason why Assad should bomb the takfiris with whatever means his army have at their disposal.
05 September 2016, 12:37
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"Clearly these attacks were simultaneous and they all targeted security posts," he told Agence France Presse.
well done.
05 September 2016, 16:26
101
ex-fpm: in your quote, "he" = terrorist spokesperson for whom any syrian not on saudi, turkish or qatari payroll is considered a legitimate target. Just as with the daily shelling of government-controlled aleppo, most victims are civilians, but AFP or naharnet dont even mention them.
funny how when rebels are hit all these medias make their headlines with the number of "women and children" casualties, but when free syria is targeted by terror attacks the words civilian/women/children dont even appear anywhere.
05 September 2016, 16:35
101
also note that the words "terror", terrorists" or "terrorism" dont even appear in the article, they're called "bombers" instead, how cute.
Even blowing up 16 people outside a bakery doesnt seem to suffice for AFP/naharnet to qualify it a terror attack.
05 September 2016, 17:42
81
Yet when the Syrian army retaliates, it is called "Syrian Regime bombs civilians".
Yes but don't forget that An Nahar is pro March 14.
Very anti syrian too, so anything against Assad is good for them.
05 September 2016, 16:46
26
Ex fpm was quoting exactly the "targetting (assad) security forces" an not civilians, please mowaten stop acting more stupid than u are...
Anyway fine u cheer to lovely assad, we had a taste of his regime here as we had a taste of his father, i can only imagine under what freedome and equality syrian lived...
And now u get to a point u support this dictators acts as obviously disgracefull they may be, barrel bombs....
And the worse is u turned the other part of the lebanese population so much that they really wish that hezbos can all die there..
What a bright future is waitting our contry, cause slowely we are getting there...
And againassaad SECURITY FORCES and civilians waitting to by bread..
This said civilians surely dies also, but again nobody cares, the world stop counting at 280000... Poor syrian people...
05 September 2016, 17:53
81
First, as i explained, it is obvious the majority of dead are civilians. Hiding behind a claim by a terrorist spokesman that they are "security targets" to cheer what is very clearly a string of terror attacks is very hypocrite and disgusting.
Second, yes we had a taste of Bashar's regime here, he's the one who removed syrian troops from Lebanon without bloodshed. Remember that? What's the point in pursuing animosity against our only viable neighbor now that they're out? It makes no sense whatsoever.
Funny how those who invited Hafez into Lebanon in the first place, collaborated during the syrian occupation and stole the country left and right with them are the ones who claim to be for sovereignty and independence. an they are still doing the same today, they only changed their masters. Only thing that changed in 2005 is that m14 are bowing to saudis instead of syrians. And again, who profited from Hariri's assassination if not the sauds?
05 September 2016, 18:10
27
First: u did explain that most were civilians despite the article said they were security checkpoints... U explained?? :) indeed like u are explaining us for 5 years that all against assad's regime are terrorists, indeed who would it be possible to be against such a democratic progressist and fair regime...
Second bashar retrieted without blood, he just decided that it was enough of lebanon... Calmly and en toute civilitee.. Indeed here also u explained well, since 2000 assaad oponent were bittenn in the street (remember 7aab?..) marwan hemdeh got nearly blown up, hariri was assassinated with a ton of explosive... And he just retreat, by himslef..:)
05 September 2016, 18:11
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Finaly i didnot bring anyone to lebanon my friend, i went in demos against us invasion of irak in awkar, against israelly atrocity against palestinain in beirut, against syrian domination over lebamese political and social system.. And each and every time israel decided to ass...
nese syrian tegime oponent, hariri, kassir, hawi, gemael, tueini...
Amd last i aslo did demonstrate with the civil society cause even if i second march14 position against hezbos arms(which is really no more clear) i consider most of them corrupted and while they are making billions we live in the midle of trash..
At least i'm concequent with my belive and i believe that syrian people deserve freedome like any other people in the world
05 September 2016, 18:45
81
There's one thing we agree on, so I'll take it from there. You said that you believe syrian people deserve freedom like any other people in the world. I agree with that, but do you think freedom comes from foreign backed interventions? Really?
See what they did in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Libya, see how many millions died under the false claims of "bringing democracy", "fighting terror" or "eliminating WMDs", can anyone still doubt today that all those claims were outright lies?
The US did change its tactic after the fiasco in Iraq, but not their intentions. In Libya they did not send their own troops to be caught in a new quagmire, instead they instigated and armed islamist groups while providing air cover. It worked so well that it's exactly what they tried to do again in Syria. Instigating regime change is a violation of international law, no one can decide for Syrians who their leader should be, or what government system they should have.
05 September 2016, 18:46
81
continued:
You believe the Syrians deserve freedom? Then let them deal with that themselves, let them vote and decide, send intl observers to oversee the elections if you want, but sending mercenaries and weapons and fueling a gruesome civil war wont result in any freedom or progress. Every example in history has demonstrated this over and over.
05 September 2016, 19:08
25
"Second, yes we had a taste of Bashar's regime here, he's the one who removed syrian troops from Lebanon without bloodshed. Remember that? "
All the Lebanese that were arrested, tortured, killed under Assad's occupation of Lebanon; the brutal assassination of Rafik Hariri and others was not and is not bloodshed to you?
You represent the worse kind of people.
05 September 2016, 19:16
25
"but sending mercenaries and weapons and fueling a gruesome civil war wont result in any freedom or progress"
I am sure you do not consider 100,000 shia iraqis, afghanis, and 10,000 hezbollah terrorists in Syria as mercenaries. They are there to promote democracy and defend a democratically elected minority president who won the elections 99.97%.
05 September 2016, 19:18
25
Mowaten do u really believe what u write?
U must be talking about swiz or some civilised country, here we couldnot even protest in university without having the moukhabarat on our backs do u really thing syrians had a democratic choice?? By do u want sayed el ra2is?? Where they able to choose??
As far as for the us i told u i was in awkar when they invaded irak, so i wont defend them in anyway, but to tell u the truth when assad gazed his population i was hoping that the us would blow him...
Finaly mowaten it is easy to say let them deal with it by thereselves well i guess it is not that easy against helicopters planes barel bombs, don't u think so?...
And a last question us invaded irak for its own interest we do agree on that, but iran is acting from a caritas point of view?...
05 September 2016, 19:36
71
"All the Lebanese that were arrested, tortured, killed under Assad's occupation of Lebanon"
1- You're talking mainly about Hafez here, not Bashar
2- This was only possible due to internal collaboration of Lebanese politicians and security apparatuses
3- This was brought upon by those who invited Syria to occupy Lebanon when they realized they could not beat Aoun
05 September 2016, 19:37
71
"the brutal assassination of Rafik Hariri and others was not and is not bloodshed to you?"
Of course it is bloodshed, but you must know already since I've repeated it a million times: I don't believe the M14/western narrative that Bashar killed him is true. It doesnt make sense on so many levels:
1- Syria controlled Lebanon largely through Hariri, he had given them everything they wanted including the extension of Lahoud's term, and he was giving millions of $ annually to most high ranking Syrian officials
2- Hariri was close to Nasrallah and always supported the resistance
05 September 2016, 19:39
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3- The way he was killed was clearly aimed at shocking and provoking a reaction. And within minutes of the explosion the propaganda machine worldwide was already pushing the anti-syrian accusations at full steam.
4- I'm not saying the syrians are angels, but I think everyone agrees they're not stupid, if they wanted to kill him they would have done it in a much less spectacular way to avoid shaking the status quo that was in their favor.
5- The biggest losers of that assassination were Syrians, predictably so, and the biggest winners were those who wanted to challenge Syrian influence in Lebanon. If the STL was really serious about finding the truth, they would look in the direction of those who benefitted from the crime, but they ruled that out from the start.
05 September 2016, 20:01
61
imagine: within the first days of the protests huge progress was made. Assad agreed to the demands of the people one after the other:
1- he lifted the martial law which was the first demand of the people
2- then they asked that political prisoners be released, and he agreed (now he is blamed for it because some ended up joining terrorist groups)
3- then they asked for a new constitution and open multipartite elections, and once more he agreed, announcing he would submit the new draft constitution to popular referendum
05 September 2016, 20:02
71
continued:
But each time he made concessions, announced reforms, the "protesters" asked for more, until they said they wanted him to resign and hand over the country to a bunch of unknown foreign backed puppets. This was clearly beyond what any self-respecting sovereign country could ever accept.
Why make those impossible claims? Not accepting the concessions and escalating the situation shows whoever was behind it did not want progress, they wanted a bloodbath in Syria and nothing less than a hostile takeover. Don't be fooled, none of the powers who supported and instigated the escalation give a damn about Syrians and their freedom.
05 September 2016, 20:09
71
as for the chemical attacks you mentioned, more and more evidence indicate it was a false flag attack by foreign-backed terrorists, aimed (as in hariri's assassination) at provoking a reaction.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/6/syrian-rebels-used-sarin-nerve-gas-not-assads-regi/
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/12/syrian-chemical-weapons-attack-false-flag-turkey-isis.html
05 September 2016, 20:13
71
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-05-01/seymour-hersh-says-hillary-approved-sending-libyas-sarin-syrian-rebels
05 September 2016, 20:24
26
mowaten you are the best spokesman assad could have.
Amnesty Denounces 'Appalling Abuse' in Syrian Jails
More than 17,700 people are estimated to have died in custody in Syria since the country's conflict began in March 2011, an average of more than 300 each month, the watchdog said in a report.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/214974-amnesty-denounces-appalling-abuse-in-syrian-jails
'The worst place on earth': inside Assad's brutal Saydnaya prison
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/aug/18/saydnaya-prison-syria-assad-amnesty-reconstruction
05 September 2016, 20:45
71
Justin, who cares?
If the Syrian Government tortures takfiris that commits crimes such as these, then no wonder the salafis end up in such prisons.
06 September 2016, 09:03
40
what does amnesty have to say about that? as far as I care those terrorists can all die in torture
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/graphic-18-us-backed-rebels-mercilessly-torture-civilian-southern-syria/
07 September 2016, 09:28
01
the clown says ""All the Lebanese that were arrested, tortured, killed under Assad's occupation of Lebanon"
1- You're talking mainly about Hafez here, not Bashar "
So why is it that you bestowed upon the thug who kidnapped kaddafi's son and tortured him a medal of honor and praised him for being a hero.
