Damascus bombs kill five officers near mosque

Published on 08/09/2012 00:00

Two bombs exploded in ­Damascus yesterday, killing at least five policemen and wounding others in the latest violence in the Syrian capital.

The bombings came as regime forces and rebels clashed in the city’s southern neighbourhoods.

The first bomb went off outside the Rukniyeh mosque as worshippers were leaving weekly prayers in the northern district of Rukneddine. Officials said the bomb was placed on a motorcycle. State television said five policemen were killed, though officials at the scene put the number at six. About two hours later, a car bomb exploded in the district of Mazzeh between the buildings of the information and justice ministries, state TV said. The blast caused no casualties but damaged nearby vehicles.

In Geneva, the new president of the Red Cross told reporters he had held “positive” talks with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad this week to gain access to detainees and free up deliveries of badly needed aid to hundreds of thousands of people. The exodus of Syrians fleeing violence – whether to seek refuge elsewhere within Syria or in neighbouring countries – has dramatically accelerated in recent months as Syria has descended into civil war.

Peter Maurer, president of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross, said his talks with the president were “sober, to the point” and “clearly focused on humanitarian needs,” such as releasing deliveries of food, medicine and other supplies to hundreds of thousands of people.

The United Nations’ refugee agency also said it is scaling up emergency operations for 200,000 people inside Syria who have been displaced by fighting and need medical care, shelter and schools.