Syria

Bomb blasts kill 16, injure scores in Syria

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At least 16 people have been killed and scores of others injured in two bomb blasts hitting the Syrian capital Damascus and the southwestern city of Suwayda.

On Wednesday, a booby-trapped car went off near an Air Force intelligence base in Suwayda’s al-Umran district, killing 8 people and injuring 20 others.

On the same day, a bomb explosion rocked Damascus’s al-Hejaz Square, killing 8 people and wounding 50 others.

According to local media, which blamed the attack on terrorist groups fighting against the Syrian government, the blast was caused by a bomb placed at the entrance of a company known as al-Hejaz Railway.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

A medical source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that among those injured were a number of women and children.

Meanwhile, reports from Damascus say foreign-sponsored militants have stepped up firing mortar shells on different areas of the capital, including the districts of Mazzeh and Bab Touma.

The fresh violence comes as Syrian forces have intensified their battle against the militants.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.

Recently, the UN warned against the humanitarian situation in Syria, saying over nine million people are in need of urgent aid due to the crisis in the Middle Eastern country.

On October 7, the UN also announced that over four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 due to the escalating conflict in the country.

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