Al Qaeda in Syria? U.N. mission chief considers.
- 12 years ago
Twin suicide car bombs exploded in Damascus last week, killing 55 people.
The blasts come as the deadliest attacks in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March of 2011.
On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he believed al Qaeda was behind the attacks.
The arrival of al Qaeda into the Syrian conflict would be worrying, the UN monitoring mission's head in Syria, Robert Mood says, but in his mind, it's not yet confirmed.
(SOUNDBITE)(English) MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT MOOD, HEAD OF THE U.N. MONITORING MISSION, SAYING:
"This is the kind of violence that is obviously impossible at this stage to decide where it came from, by whom. But, there is a worrying incident on worrying trends related to these incidents. I can not confirm that we have groups in the country linked to those you mentioned, but I am concerned about the incidents where explosives, improvised devices are targeting innocent civilians, innocent people because it is not going to help the situation."
Unarmed U.N. monitors in Syria are currently observing an unraveling truce brokered by U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan.
Sarah Sheffer, Reuters
The blasts come as the deadliest attacks in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March of 2011.
On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he believed al Qaeda was behind the attacks.
The arrival of al Qaeda into the Syrian conflict would be worrying, the UN monitoring mission's head in Syria, Robert Mood says, but in his mind, it's not yet confirmed.
(SOUNDBITE)(English) MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT MOOD, HEAD OF THE U.N. MONITORING MISSION, SAYING:
"This is the kind of violence that is obviously impossible at this stage to decide where it came from, by whom. But, there is a worrying incident on worrying trends related to these incidents. I can not confirm that we have groups in the country linked to those you mentioned, but I am concerned about the incidents where explosives, improvised devices are targeting innocent civilians, innocent people because it is not going to help the situation."
Unarmed U.N. monitors in Syria are currently observing an unraveling truce brokered by U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan.
Sarah Sheffer, Reuters