Following up on the recent bombing in Syria
The weekend attack that killed 17 people in Damascus was the work of a suicide bomber, according to Syrian officials.
It marks a new departure for the Arab republic. Although affected by violent Muslim extremists in the past, Syria had thus far escaped the sort of mass casualty suicide bombings that have hit neighbouring Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.
In Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli yesterday, a car bomb hit a bus carrying soldiers, killing at least five people and wounding at least 24.
In Syria, preliminary findings by antiterrorist officers indicated the 200kg of explosives used in Saturday’s bombings were carried in a GMC Suburban – a large sports utility vehicle – that had crossed into the country the day before.
The Syrian authorities did not reveal which country the vehicle had entered from, saying only it was an “Arab†neighbour, apparently ruling out Israel and Turkey. No specific group has been identified as responsible, with Syrian state-run media blaming a “takfir organisationâ€.
“Takfir†refers to non-belief in Islam, and is a term used by extremists to justify the murder of other Muslims. Shiites in Iraq commonly refer to Sunni radicals, including al Qa’eda, as “Takfirisâ€.
Yup, because there have just been loads of non-Muslim suicide bombers over the past 30 years.
Bashar Assad, the Syrian president, said this month that he was worried about “extremists forces†in Tripoli, warning that Islamist militants were coming to dominate the north Lebanese city.
Muslim militants have been behind a series of attacks in recent years inside Syria, despite its security services having a reputation of being ruthlessly efficient.
Live by the Islamic terrorist, die by the Islamic terrorist. Syria was instrumental, along with so many other countries, in pushing for Islamic extremism. Now they are getting a taste of what they created.
