Assad’s brother-in-law among victims
The Syrian security establishment suffered a heavy blow on Wednesday after a suicide bomber killed the country’s defence minister, his deputy, and seriously injured several other top security officials including the interior minister and the intelligence chief.
The lethal strike was carried out by a suicide bomber who, apparently, was part of a security team that has been posted to guard Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s inner circle. The sketchy information available so far seems to suggest that the bomber struck during the course of a high profile security meeting that was being held in the national security bureau in the Rawda district of Damascus.
The deadly attack also delivered a personal blow to Mr. Assad, whose brother- in-law Assef Shawkat, the deputy defence minister was among the dead. The defence minister Dawoud Rajiha was also killed. The interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar is recuperating in hospital, as is the intelligence chief, Hisham Bekhtyar, who sustained serious injuries. Syrian authorities have appointed Fahad Jassim al-Freij, the serving chief of staff of the armed forces, as the new defence minister.
The claims of responsibility have come thick and fast soon after the attack. Liwa Al-Islam, a Syrian rebel Islamist group posted a statement on Facebook where it claimed responsibility for the strike.
The opposition Free Syrian Army also said it carried out the attack, according to its spokesman Qassim Saadedine.
On their part, Syrian authorities pinned the blame for the "terrorist bomb attack" on "hired hands," and vowed to wipe out "criminal gangs," state television reported.
Wednesday’s mega-strike caps four days of hit-and-run violence in Damascus, which started after the opposition launched a new offensive codenamed Operation Damascus Volcano, which has focused on high visibility targets.
On Tuesday gunfire and plumes of smoke were reported from a street not far from the parliament. Opposition videos also showed on fire, hilltop barracks that apparently housed personnel who were engaged in performing security duties for the high security presidential palace down below. State television beamed images of troops patrolling deserted streets of Midan area — a prominent Damascus enclave — parts of which were earlier reported to have come under fire from the opposition.
As Damascus immersed into a deep security crisis, the United Nations Security Council was getting ready to debate a resolution on the extension of a UN monitoring mission in Syria, whose deployment has been tied to the fulfillment of a six point peace plan authored by Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy on Syria. Russia and China are opposed to a British draft which embeds the possibility of sanctions, if not more, against the Assad regime in case it does not comply with Mr. Annan’s plan.
Keywords: Syria, suicide blast, Damascus, security building
The crisis in syria is escalating to wider horizons as expected.This is due to the policy taken by the syrian government towards their people. In my opinion it is not good to use force for the continuation of government. But in case of syria the opposition is not forcing the government to step down in a democratic way rather they use the arms to make the government budge like libya. Also the international double standards towrds a peace solution to syria is disheartening. The west wants assad to step down and to create a interim govt of coalition of opposition groups which wont be taken in syria. The immediate solution is to make the rebel groups to put their guns down and protest democratically. The syrian govt should come to talks to the desk as said by the UN negotiator kofi annan for that the west, Russia and china should come to a consensus after all it is the country internal issue blown up to big bubbles due to the geopolitical power thirst of other international powers.
In the final analysis numbers matter. The 20% Alawite minority cannot run roughshod over the majority - especially counting the Sunni neighbors, the intensity of feelings and the trillions of dollars the Saudis and Gulf States can muster. Hopefully, Mr. Assad's Russian friends would convince him to take refuge in Russia and let the UN workout a democratic transition. Otherwise, a massacre of immense proportions is a probability. A wider conflict involving Iran is a possibility, but unlikely because Iran would not fall for such an ambush.
The time is running out for Bashar Al Assad. If his Defence Minister General Rajah and his deputy Assef Shawkat, the brother in law of Assad, can be killed, and the Interior Minister, Intelligence Chief and others in his inner circle are seriously injured, the day is not far off for the extinction of Assad. Assad lost generals and soldiers and the trusted and most important Ambassador to Iraq. The end game that Assad is playing will end up risking his life, similar to what happened to Maummar Gadhafi of Libya. Common sense does not prevail for dictators. If Assad is smart to save his life, he should move to the Russian Naval Base at Tartus in the Meditteranean coast of Syria for flight to Russia before the opposition block his only exit route.
I sympathize with Assad regime and the danger of the religious fanatics coming to power that would endanger the minorities such as Christians and Alawites in Syria. However this is going on for too long, Assad regime needs to seriously think of reaching some sort of arrangements including relinquishing power and exile before Assad family personal safety or immunity from criminal prosecution becomes untenable.
Unfortunately,if a Government loses the support of its people, guns cannot keep it in power. This was so poignant, when Gandhi showed that the might of the Empire could not stop Indians from becoming free. Asad and his Ministers have become an illegitimate Government and hence the fall is inevitable. The Arab spring has shown that in the new internet age, nothing can stop an idea, whose time has come. The problem in most of the Arab World is that several Governments rule through sheer Military control and the people are not heard. The Saudis have been arming the Sunni majority in Syria. However, their own power base will soon come under threat. The World may be in for turmoil in this region for a decade. But, true will of the people will replace illegitimate Governments
With more than 400 security officials dead and more than 17,000 civillians dead, death of defence minister is just increasing the number on the list. This is the time when countries like Russia and China should realize and come together to support the UN decision of intervening Syria,thus stopping the blood bath in that region for the sake of humanity rather playing politics of power and vetoing against it.
Seems like intense fighting is going on both the sides -- though nobody has any credible evidence on what is actually going on inside Syria, the West has always been painting Assad as a rogue and his opponents as holy sheep and holy cows.
Please Email the Editor