Syria: 9 dead; 100 injured in Deir el-Zour blast

Syrian state TV reports military buildings in eastern city of Deir el-Zour targeted 'by terrorists'; says over 500kg of explosives used

Associated Press |Last update: 05.19.12 , 12:23

Nine people were killed and over 100 wounded in a suicide bombing that struck the town of Deir el-Zour on Saturday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

The explosion took place in a parking lot connected to a military complex, the pro-government Ikhbariya TV station reported. According to Syrian officials the car bomb contained "500 kg of explosives."

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The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the explosion, which it also identified as a car bomb, took place near where the city branches of the Military Intelligence Directorate and Air Force Intelligence are located. Amateur videos posted online showed thick black smoke hovering over the city.

A street near the bombing site (Photo: AFP)

Security agency compounds in several Syrian cities have been targeted by a wave of explosions in the past months. The blasts raise fears that al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants, possibly including fighters from neighboring Iraq, have made strong inroads into Syria's rebel movement.

The most recent bombing targeted an intelligence building in Damascus on May 10. It struck during morning rush hour and the high death toll – some 55 people – made it the deadliest such attack since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March of last year.

Some of the tactics used in Damascus – a small blast drawing attention prior to a larger one – were reminiscent of al-Qaida attacks during Iraq's insurgency.

Deir el-Zour is about 60 miles from the Iraqi border. Saturday's blast came a day after the state-run news agency SANA reported that authorities foiled an attempt to blow up a car rigged with explosives in the city and detained those involved.

On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he believes that "alarmingly and surprisingly," al-Qaeda must have been behind the May 10 attack in the Syrian capital.

"The recent terrorist attacks in Damascus suggest that these attacks were carefully orchestrated," he said. "Having seen the scale and sophistication of these terrorist attacks, one might think that this terrorist attack was done by a certain group with organization and clear intent. I have strongly condemned these terrorist attacks."