Syrian city Idlib rocked by three blasts, dozens dead
DAMASCUS - Dozens of people were killed and many more injured in three bombings, one near a military compound in the north-western Syrian city of Idlib Monday, according to media reports and activists.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 20 people were killed in the twin bombings but the figure could not be confirmed independently. The activists said most of those killed were members of the security forces.
Media reports said one car bomb targeted a government security building even as the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said heavy artillery shelling had targeted Idlib.
TV footage flashed by Saudi Arabia's al-Ekhbariya showed smashed cars, debris and blood strewn roads at the blast sites. Five buildings were reported damaged in two of the three blasts. But there were no reports about any casualties in the third bombing.
State TV reported 20 people were killed and 100 wounded including security services personnel targeted by an rebels. Assad's government says such blasts are the work of terrorists and prove that his opponents are ignoring a U.N. ceasefire.
But one of the main militia fighting against Assad, the Free Syrian Army, has denied rebels were behind the attack.
The coordination committee said the government was responsible and "has resorted to fabricating staged explosions that have taken the lives of dozens of Syrians".
"These tricks no longer fool anyone, especially given the fact that the regime has resorted to these escalations every time there is political movement at the Arab, regional or international level to find a political solution to the crisis in which the regime kills its people who are demanding freedom," it said.
The blast shattered a UN-brokered fragile peace even as some observers of the world body are watching the situation in the aftermath of the truce in several Syrian cities including Damascus.
The head of the UN observers mission, Norwegian General Robert Mood, has said the observers will cooperate with the Syrian government in implementing Kofi Annan's settlement plan. He also said that the conflicting Syrian sides must renounce violence and enter into a dialogue.
Activists in Idlib said the first two explosions were about five minutes apart just after daybreak. One of the blasts detonated about 200 metres from a hotel where two UN truce monitors have been staying, said the activists.
A pro-government website said the hotel was damaged.
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