Several dead after suicide bomb rocks central Damascus
July 2, 2017
Authorities chased three suspcted car bombers through the streets of the capital but were able to intercept two. The third targeted the city's Tahrir Square, killing several people.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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A suicide attacker set off an explosion in Tahrir Square in downtown Damascus on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more, reported state news agency SANA. The Syrian foreign ministry informed the United Nations of the updated death toll in a letter, SANA said.
"The terrorist bombings killed and wounded several civilians and caused physical damage to the area," a senior police representative told the official SANA news agency. Authorities believed that the terrorists were trying to target busy areas as citizens returned to work after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The bomber was in one of three cars being pursued by authorities. The other two were intercepted by security services on the road toward the airport in the southeast of the city. While reports stated that the second two car bombs did detonate, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
One resident told French news agency AFP that he had seen Red Crescent volunteers treating wounded soldiers, as well as two burned-out cars and a damaged security checkpoint.
"The specialized agencies have thwarted the terrorist plot that targeted to hit populous places in order to cause the highest possible casualties," said Syrian Minister of Local Administration Hussein Makhlouf, without elaborating further.
While the fighting in the capital has been less intense than in flashpoints like Aleppo and Homs, there has been ongoing fighting in the east of the city between rebels and regime troops, as well as sporadic attacks on government targets by Islamist terrorists. Suicide bombings on the outskirts of the city have increased in recent months, including an attack on a courthouse and restaurant in March that killed 32 people. That incident was claimed by the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group.
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
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War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
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The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
