Major Rebel Car Bombings Kill 54, Wound Over 200 in Syria

Bombings Targeted Crowded Neighborhoods

Syrian rebels launched multiple, major car bomb attacks today in the cities of Damascus and Homs, killing at least 54 people and wounding a large number of others.

The bombing in Homs targeted a busy residential area populated by Christians and Alawites, and involved two car bombs going off 10 minutes apart. The official toll was 40 killed and 116 wounded.

In Damascus, the attack targeted a school in a Shi’ite neighborhood, killing 14 people and wounding 86. Most of the victims were reportedly children.

The attacks both took place in cities where the Assad government has mostly ousted the rebels, and suggest that instead of trying to retake lost territory the rebels are moving toward massive body counts in those cities, while focusing on territory in the north.

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.