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Syria: Chilling Eyewitness Blogger Account on Damascus Explosion

Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Breaking News, Disaster, Politics, War & Conflict

With very little information coming out on today's massive explosion [1] in Damascus, Syria, one blogger was on the site and rushed back to his computer to describe to the world the scene of devastation and chaos he has witnessed.

Syrian Medad [2] was minutes away from the explosion and gives us an eyewitness account of what happened:

 صباح هذا اليوم 27/09/2008 هز انفجار شديد العاصمة سورية دمشق على بعد مئتين متر من سيارتي التي كنت استقلها من منطقة السيدة زينب صباح هذا اليوم باتجاه دمشق عبر مفصل (المتحلق الجنوبي) أي قبل حوالي عشرين دقيقة من الآن تماماً..

الانفجار لم يكن مسموعاً بقدر ما كان محسوساً فقد قفزت السيارة التي كنت استقلها الى الهواء لمسافة نصف متر تقريباً ثم جلست على الأرض في حالة ذهول مني..  ناهيك عن صوت الانفجار الضخم الذي يجب ان يكون مسموعاً الى مسافة بعيدة جداً.. وعند المرور عند موقع الحادث الذي كان قرب الثكنة العسكرية التي تُدعى على حسب قول السائق (قسم الدوريات) كانت أشلاء تتطاير في المكان عددت منها قطع لأربع اشخاص إضافة الى جثة مرمية على طرف الشارع وجرحى لا يحصى عددهم..

This morning, on September 27, 2008, a huge explosion shook the Syrian capital Damascus, about 200 metres away from my car which I was riding from the Sayida Zainab area towards Damascus. That was about 20 minutes ago.

The explosion was not audiable as much as it was felt and my car leaped for half a metre in the air. I then sat on the ground in a state of complete shock.. added to that the sound of the explosion which must have been heard over a long distance. While passing by the incident site, which was near a military point, which the driver described as the Patrols Department, I saw body parts belonging to four different people, in addition to the bodies on either sides of the streets and countless injured people…

الأجهزة الأمنية كانت في حالة استنفار شديد وكانت تطرد جميع الناس من مسرح الانفجار لئلا يحصل أحد على المعلومات او التصوير (كاميرتي التي كانت ستصادر) عذراً لم استطع التصوير لحالة الهلع التي كانت سائدة بين الناس وضرب الاجهزة الامنية للناس لتفتيتهم وتشتيتهم..
The security forces were on full alert and were throwing everyone out of the explosion scene so that nobody gets any information or take any pictures (my camera was about to be confiscated). Excuse me if I wasn't able to take pictures because of the state of horror among people and the security forces beating up people to disperse them from the scene.

الانفجار كبير جداً وما زالت سيارة تحترق في الجوار وحائط كبير قد سقط من الثكنة العسكرية اضافة الى اشجار كاملة قد هبطت على كلا الطرفين وقطع بشرية متناثرة في الجوار وسيارات الاسعاف تنطلق بسرعة جنونية وقد اخلت بالفعل عدداً منهم..

الحقيقة لم اشعر بالخوف بقدر ما شعرت بالاسف لما حدث والحمد لله انني كنت بعيداً عن تلك النقطة حتى ولو على بعد مئتي متر، وكما آمنت دائماً لكل إنسان وقته وأظن أن وقتي لم يحن بعد..

The explosion is so huge and there is still a car burning nearby and a huge wall collapsed from the military point, as well as complete trees which got uprooted and fell on either sides of the streets, and the human body remains, which are scattered in the nearby area, and the ambulances, which are racing in a crazy manner and removing the bodies. The truth is that I wasn't scared as much as I was sorry for what had happened. Thank God I was away from that point, even by 200m. I have always believed that every human being has his time (for death) and I believe my time has not come yet.

عذراً أحب أن أقول بأن الانفجار غير ناتج عن (جرة غاز) أو (انفجار سيارة) بحادث أو أي كذبة أخرى قد تخرج بها الحكومة.. الانفجار كبير اسقط حائطا كاملاً من الثكنة العسكرية والانفجار خارج الثكنة على الشارع تماماً وليس داخلها، وهناك سيارات محترقة وجثث وأموات والعديد من الجرحى.. والوقت كان حوالي الثامنة إلا ربعاً من صباح اليوم أي قبل نصف ساعة من الآن تماما..

سأوافيكم بالتفاصيل فيما بعد..

عذرا لان التدوين غير محبوكة النص بسبب السرعة..

حفظ الله هذا الوطن من كل شر..

 

Excuse me but I want to say that the explosion wasn't a result of a gas cylinder or a car explosion due to an accident or any other lie the government comes up with.. The explosion is huge and it caused a complete wall in the military compound to collapse, and it happened outside the compound on the street and not inside it, and there are burnt cars and bodies, and dead people and a lot of injuries…The time was around a quarter to eight in the morning which was about half an hour ago. I will be supplying you with more information later. I am sorry this post isn't written properly because I am rushing it. May God protect this country from all evils.

Dania [3], from Syria, has a post entitled 17. She writes:

17 people are killed [4]… and no one knows any thing, no news agency knows any thing, no further details but … 17 people are killed.

200kg of explosive… who, how, and why…
17 people are killed…I can't think right now, my brother was on his way to the airport.

They say it might be an assassination, and they say it might be only a threat to the national security.

17 people are killed

Sasa, [5] meanwhile, posts catches up with the rumour mill and brings us the latest:

So, it's been a few minutes since the bomb, and already people are spending their time wishing up conspiracy theories based on their filthy politics, instead of thinking about the fact that seventeen lives have been lost.

Here's what I've heard already:

- The bomb was near the Sidi Kadad Intelligence Headquarters, responsible for monitoring Palestinians in Damascus – it must be Palestinians taking revenge

- The bomb was on the airport road – it must be Israelis trying to hurt a symbol of national significance

- The bomb was in Sayida Zeinab – it must be the Iraqi problem being exported

- The bomb was trying to undermine the stability of the Syrian government – it must be the Americans

- The bomb was revenge for the killing of a top government official last month – it must be the Syrians

- The bomb was revenge for the killing of Hizbollah official Imad Mughniya – it must be the Lebanese

- The bomb follows other attacks across Syria by religious extremists – it must be Al Qaeda

Just think about the dead – instead of how the attack supports your filthy view of the world.

And Syria affairs expert Joshua Landis [6] links to a Telegraph article for the news. Commentators on his post were quick to respond.

Offended said:

Very disturbing news. What kind of a sick ideology or agenda is behind such attacks?

And IDAF responded:

Luckily it is a weekend and no children were in the damaged elementary school in the location.

Syrian TV was the only source of information and footage so far. Some images here:
http://www.syria-news.com/readnews.php?sy_seq=83046 [7]

From neighbouring Egypt, Zeinobia [8] explains:

This is the first terrorist act that targets the Syrian civilians since a long time. Also it comes after a serious of mysterious assignations assassinations took place [9] across the country. Not to mention it comes at the same time the Syria seems to regain power in the region.

Till now the message behind this blast is not obvious , it is for sure sent to the Syrian regime but for what ?? For its Relations with Iran or the regime itself !!??