January 2012 al-Midan bombing

Coordinates: 33°29′00″N 36°17′00″E / 33.4833°N 36.2833°E / 33.4833; 36.2833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2012 al-Midan bombing
Part of the
Suicide bombing
Deaths26[1] (including 11 police officers)[2]
Injured63
PerpetratorAl-Nusra Front

On 6 January 2012, a bomb exploded in the

suicide bomber attacked buses carrying riot police shortly before an anti-government protest was to begin. It said that 26 people were killed and over 60 were injured. Most of the victims were civilians, though the Syrian government showed footage of what it claimed to be the funeral of 11 police officers killed in the attack.[3]

It was the second such bombing since an

Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant
claimed responsibility in a video.

Background

The attack occurred as Arab League monitors were in the country to see if Syria was abiding by Arab League demands that were said to have sought an end to the violence.[6] Two weeks earlier, a double car bombing in Damascus had killed 44 people. The government blamed that attack on Islamist militants.

Bombing

Most of the initial information about the attack comes from the Syrian government and state media. It reported that, at about 10:55,[7] a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt beside three buses carrying riot police.[8][9] A police officer said that he had seen a man carrying a black bag walk toward a bus and then detonate the explosives.[10] The buses were parked outside a police station that was near a primary school and a mosque. The bomb detonated at a traffic light under a concrete flyover, shattering windows and destroying several police cars.[8] According to Syrian state media, it was estimated that the bomb was 10 kilograms of high explosive.[7]

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that 26 were killed (including 15 who could not be identified) and 63 were hurt.[7][11] It also said that most of the victims were civilians but that there were security personnel among the dead.[9][12] Remains, allegedly those of the bomber, were left at the scene for several hours before being taken away for DNA tests.[8] These and other body parts were repeatedly displayed for journalists who were driven to the scene by the Ministry of Information.[8] State-owned television showed a damaged bus with blood and police helmets on the seats. Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar said that the bomber "detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people."

Aftermath

Hundreds of government loyalists later arrived at the scene, some of whom were waving flags and chanting in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.[8] According to The New York Times, people living in the neighborhood reported that about an hour after the bombing, security forces and armed loyalists went on "a rampage, shooting randomly and beating and arresting people in the streets".[11]

Despite the bombing, anti-government

Deraa.[10] SANA also reported that an oil pipeline between Hama and Idlib had been blown up by a "terrorist group."[10]

Perpetrators

The Interior Minister described the

al-Qaida."[9] Syria's interior ministry said the government would "strike back with an iron fist" to what it called "terrorist escalation".[10]

Opposition groups accused the government of staging the attack to "sully the opposition’s image"[11] and validate its own argument that it is "fighting blind violence rather than a pro-democracy movement."[13] The Free Syrian Army (FSA), the main anti-government paramilitary group, denied involvement and condemned the attack. FSA spokesman Major Maher al-Naimi said: "This is planned and systematic state terrorism by the security forces of the President Bashar al-Assad".[13] The Syrian National Council issued a statement reading: "Today's bombings, in the area that has experienced the largest of the anti-regime demonstrations, clearly bear the regime's fingerprints".[10] The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood also blamed the government.[11]

On 7 January, opposition activists accused the government of making fake television footage of the aftermath. The activists pointed to three clips "mistakenly" aired by Syrian state TV. One shows what seems to be an injured man on the ground standing up just before the end of the clip. Another shows a man with a microphone (allegedly a reporter for Syrian state TV) placing "bags of vegetables" in the street to give the impression that some of the victims were civilians shopping in the nearby market. The third video shows a person putting police shields in one of the damaged vans.[14]

The same day as the bombing, Syrian opposition leader Ammar Qurabi claimed that the government was planning another bombing in Aleppo "to terrorize the people". He said he had learned of the plot from Syrian security officials.[15]

At the end of February a group called the al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the attack and placed a 45-minute video on the Internet showing its preparation.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Adrian Blomfield (6 January 2012). "Suicide bomb kills 26 in Syria: Interior minister". The Vancouver Sun. Canada.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Thousands of Assad backers hold prayers for dead in Syria bombing[dead link]
  3. ^ "Syria Live Blog Sat, 7 Jan 2012, 17:28". Al Jazeera Blogs. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  4. ^ Anthoy Shadid (6 January 2012). "Bomb Attack Kills Dozens of People in Syrian Capital". The New York Times.
  5. ^ "Syria blames al-Qaida for Damascus liking suicide attack – video". The Guardian. UK. Reuters. 6 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Syria tense as bomb victims mourned". Mobileafrik.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  7. ^ a b c "Terrorist Bombing in al-Midan Neighborhood in Damascus Causes Tens of Deaths and Injuries, Most Are Civilians" Archived 9 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Syrian Arab News Agency. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Syria blames al-Qaida for Damascus bomb". The Guardian. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "Syrian bomb attacks cause people to rally around Bashar al-Assad's regime". The Guardian. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Syria unrest: Damascus blast and clashes kill many". BBC News. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d "Bomb Kills Dozens in Damascus, Stoking Suspicions". The New York Times. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  12. ^ Bassem Mroue (6 January 2012). "Bombing in Syrian capital of Damascus kills 25". Associated Press.
  13. ^ a b "Syrian capital rocked by deadly explosion". France 24. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Syria Live Blog Sat, 7 Jan 2012, 18:13". Al Jazeera Blogs. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Syrian opposition figure says Assad’s regime plotting a massive blast in Aleppo" Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Al Arabiya. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  16. Al Arabiya News
    , 29 February 2012.
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