Rebels, Militants Take Credit for Attack on Syrian Military Headquarters
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LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Two groups are each taking credit for Wednesday’s suicide car bomb attack against the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus that left four guards dead and more than a dozen others wounded.
The Free Syrian Army, the main rebel group battling government forces, as well as the militant organization Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility for the strike that is considered significant because it occurred at the staff command compound.
Witnesses said that a minibus carrying explosives detonated after it crashed into the building, literally shaking the area around it.
According to Syrian State TV, rebel forces and military guards engaged in a gun battle following the blast.
The attack came just a day after several bombs blew up inside a Damascus school that rebels claimed had been taken over by the military to be used as a security headquarters.
Wednesday’s attack occurred on the deadliest day thus far of the 19-month conflict, with 343 fatalities reported. It’s estimated that 30,000 people have died because of the violence since March 2011 but there is no way to verify an exact figure.
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