lucky wilbury
04-27-2004, 03:30 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,118313,00.html
Gunfire, Blasts Rock Diplomatic Area of Damascus
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian security forces clashed with a "terrorist band" late Tuesday in Damascus (search), Syrian television reported. Explosions and gunfire were heard in a neighborhood where foreign diplomats live and work.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
Syrian television, in a brief statement, said the "terrorist band" opened fire indiscriminately, and that security forces gave chase and were in control of the situation. It gave no other details.
Syria has not seen such violence in years.
Residents of the area reported explosions and gunfire in the Mazza neighborhood. Smoke was seen billowing from the area, which security forces sealed off, the residents said.
Al-Jazeera reported that car bombs were used in the attack and that heavy exchanges of gunfire were continuing late into the night.
Al-Arabiya quoted a witness saying more than 15 explosions were heard.
A Saudi consulate, the British ambassador's home, offices of the Iranian state news agency, the Iranian Embassy and the Canadian Embassy are in Mazza, on the western edge of the city.
In London, a British Foreign Office (search) spokesman said an explosion and shooting was heard near the Iranian ambassador's residence and in the vicinity of the British ambassador's residence.
"At the moment, there are no injuries to U.K. Embassy staff. Our staff are in the process of assessing the situation," the Foreign Office spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman, speaking on the same terms, later said, "We understand it was not aimed at the British ambassador's residence.
An Iranian Embassy official in Damascus said Iran's embassy was not involved in any attack. The official spoke to Lebanon's al-Manar television station, which is run by the pro-Iranian guerrilla group Hezbollah.
Syrian political analyst Imad Shuaibi told The Associated Press he had learned that a two men "attacked with hand grenades and gunfire near the Iranian and Canadian embassies."
"One was killed and the other was captured," Shuaibi said.
Syria has been on the U.S. State Department's (search) list of terror-sponsoring nations for its support of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah that attack Israel. Syria, though, says the anti-Israeli groups are not terrorist, and that it has an interest in fighting Islamic extremist groups like Al Qaeda.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Syria's hard-line government fought a fierce war with Islamic fundamentalists of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was blamed for a 1980 assassination attempt on President Hafez Assad, the country's authoritarian leader. Assad was succeeded by his son, Bashar Assad, after his death of natural causes in 2000.
Assad suffered minor injuries after gunmen open fire with automatic weapons and grenades in the 1980 attack.
Syrian special forces troops massacred some 1,000 Muslim Brotherhood members in Tadmur Military Prison near Palmyra to avenge the assassination attempt.
In 1982, the Muslim Brotherhood staged a rebellion in the northern province of Hama. During the clashes, Syrian forces razed much of the city, killing as many as 10,000 people and finally crushing the Brotherhood after five-year war.
Gunfire, Blasts Rock Diplomatic Area of Damascus
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian security forces clashed with a "terrorist band" late Tuesday in Damascus (search), Syrian television reported. Explosions and gunfire were heard in a neighborhood where foreign diplomats live and work.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
Syrian television, in a brief statement, said the "terrorist band" opened fire indiscriminately, and that security forces gave chase and were in control of the situation. It gave no other details.
Syria has not seen such violence in years.
Residents of the area reported explosions and gunfire in the Mazza neighborhood. Smoke was seen billowing from the area, which security forces sealed off, the residents said.
Al-Jazeera reported that car bombs were used in the attack and that heavy exchanges of gunfire were continuing late into the night.
Al-Arabiya quoted a witness saying more than 15 explosions were heard.
A Saudi consulate, the British ambassador's home, offices of the Iranian state news agency, the Iranian Embassy and the Canadian Embassy are in Mazza, on the western edge of the city.
In London, a British Foreign Office (search) spokesman said an explosion and shooting was heard near the Iranian ambassador's residence and in the vicinity of the British ambassador's residence.
"At the moment, there are no injuries to U.K. Embassy staff. Our staff are in the process of assessing the situation," the Foreign Office spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman, speaking on the same terms, later said, "We understand it was not aimed at the British ambassador's residence.
An Iranian Embassy official in Damascus said Iran's embassy was not involved in any attack. The official spoke to Lebanon's al-Manar television station, which is run by the pro-Iranian guerrilla group Hezbollah.
Syrian political analyst Imad Shuaibi told The Associated Press he had learned that a two men "attacked with hand grenades and gunfire near the Iranian and Canadian embassies."
"One was killed and the other was captured," Shuaibi said.
Syria has been on the U.S. State Department's (search) list of terror-sponsoring nations for its support of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah that attack Israel. Syria, though, says the anti-Israeli groups are not terrorist, and that it has an interest in fighting Islamic extremist groups like Al Qaeda.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Syria's hard-line government fought a fierce war with Islamic fundamentalists of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was blamed for a 1980 assassination attempt on President Hafez Assad, the country's authoritarian leader. Assad was succeeded by his son, Bashar Assad, after his death of natural causes in 2000.
Assad suffered minor injuries after gunmen open fire with automatic weapons and grenades in the 1980 attack.
Syrian special forces troops massacred some 1,000 Muslim Brotherhood members in Tadmur Military Prison near Palmyra to avenge the assassination attempt.
In 1982, the Muslim Brotherhood staged a rebellion in the northern province of Hama. During the clashes, Syrian forces razed much of the city, killing as many as 10,000 people and finally crushing the Brotherhood after five-year war.