Car Bombs Kill 24 Civilians on Outskirts of Damascus

Al-Nusra Claims Credit for Yesterday's Bombings of Interior Ministry

Car bombings remain the order of the day in the area around the Syrian capital city of Damascus today, with another round of bombings killing at least 24 civilians, including a large number of children.

The deadliest of today’s bombings was near an Army housing complex according to rebels, but the car was parking closer to a nearby elementary school, which bore the brunt of the blast.

So far no group has claimed credit for today’s bombings, but we can take a pretty good guess. Yesterday’s largest bombings, three blasts including car and suicide bombings near the Interior Ministry, has been claimed by the al-Nusra Front.

Al-Nusra, which the US says is simply another name for al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), has regularly launched suicide and car bombing attacks in recent months, causing major civilian casualties. The group has continued to grow in influence and is now seen as a “vital” part of the Syrian rebellion forces.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.