Russia kills Syrian children, anti-Russia rallies held across the country

10 February 2012

Explosions have rocked Syria's commercial capital, Aleppo, with Alawite state media reporting attacks on a military intelligence building and a security forces headquarters.

Syrian state television said two explosions had taken place on Friday morning and blamed the attack on "armed terrorist gangs."

The broadcaster quoted the Asad's health ministry as saying that 28 people were killed and 235 wounded, including soldiers as and civilians.

"The number of casualties from the two car bombs in Aleppo has risen to 28 dead and 235 wounded," the ministry said.

Mangled, bloodied bodies as well as severed limbs lay on the pavement outside the targeted buildings, as shown in live footage on Syrian Alawite television. It said one of the blasts targeted a military intelligence center and the other a security forces building.

Arif al-Hummoud, a commander of the Free Syrian Army, a name used by various armed groups, said that opposition fighters had carried out an attack but was not responsible for the bombings.

"A group from the Free Syrian Army attacked a branch of the military security and a security unit in Aleppo with only RPGs and light weapons," he said.

The General Commission of the Syrian Revolution, an opposition group, said that the attacks were "staged by the regime," in a statement emailed to the AFP news agency.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 30 people had been killed in explosions in the neighborhoods of Sakhur and Marjeh and the Dawar el-Basel roundabout.

Meanwhile, demonstrations were held in cities across Syria on what activists called, "Russia is killing our children" Friday, in response to Russia and China vetoing a UN Security Council resolution last week.

In the flashpoint city of Homs, activists reported that Russian-made tanks were massing outside opposition neighborhoods, a week after government forces started continuously shelling the city.

Activists feared a major assault.

"The army seems determined to conquer the opposition neighborhoods - the Free Syria Army and some other armed opposition groups have been in control of those streets for some weeks now," an activist said.

Al Jazeera's Jane Ferguson reports from Homs, where some in the Alawite minority have joined the uprising

The activists said that while shelling stopped on Friday morning, the areas were "besieged by the army and people are calling for blood and bread".

"Very little food is left and little medical aid is being provided to them".

During lulls in the shelling, loudspeakers were used to call for blood donations and medical supplies, residents said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), the New York-based organization, said in a report on Thursday that makeshift hospitals in besieged opposition areas of Homs were overflowing with dead and wounded from government bombardments and snipers.

Medical supplies are running out, at least three field hospitals have been hit and people are bleeding to death as it is too dangerous for rescuers to bring them to safety, HRW said.

The rights watchdog said since the military operation against opposition neighborhoods was launched on Friday night, government forces had fired hundreds of shells and mortar bombs, killing more than 300 people and wounding hundreds more, including women and children.

Source: Agencies
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2012/02/10/15802.shtml.