Syrian TV reports ‘terrorist explosions’ in Aleppo
Syrian state television reports 28 deaths after “terrorist explosions” in the city of Aleppo, but the Free Syrian Army tells Channel 4 News the government is seeking to distract attention from Homs.
State TV said more than 200 others, civilans and members of the security forces, were injured in Syria’s second city. The attacks apparently targeted a branch of military intelligence and a security force base.
A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army (FSA) told Channel 4 News the Syrian government was behind the blasts. Captain Ammar al-Wawi, who is currently in Turkey, said the regime was seeking to distract the world’s attention from the massacres it was carrying out in Homs.
“I know this headquarter very well. It’s strongly protected and no cars are allowed to park there,” he said. Usually it’s full of security members, how come we don’t have large numbers of death among them? This explosion has two goals: drawing the attention and pretext for the army to enter Aleppo since the rallies have started there.”
Read more: United Nations fiddles while Syria burns
Hundreds killed in Homs
One activist network said 110 people were killed in Homs on Thursday by the government offensive aimed at crushing rebel forces.
Hundreds have been reported killed in the bombardment over the past week.
US President Barack Obama has described the Syrian army’s mortar and rocket attacks in the city of Homs, as “outrageous bloodshed”.
The international community is struggling to find a way to resolve the crisis after Russia and China blocked a UN resolution calling on President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the failure to secure a resolution was “disastrous” for the country.
The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu is in Washington meeting with top congressional and Obama administration leaders and discussing, in part, the Arab Spring and Syria.
The US is working with its European and Arab allies to organise the inaugural meeting of the “Friends of Syria” to explore ways to further isolate President Assad.