Suicide bomber kills ten in Damascus

A SUICIDE bomber blew himself up near a mosque in the Syrian capital yesterday, killing at least ten people and wounding nearly 30, state TV said.

Thousands of Syrians poured on to the streets elsewhere in the country – as has become ritual after Friday prayers – to denounce president Bashar Assad’s regime.

Three other smaller explosions also were reported in the capital, killing one person.

The violence was the latest blow to a peace plan brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan that called for a ceasefire to go into effect two weeks ago.

In New Delhi, UN chief Ban Ki-moon told reporters that the regime’s continued repression of the civilian population “has reached an unacceptable, intolerable stage.” Mr Ban said he was “gravely alarmed” that killings continue, despite the regime’s commitment to end violence and withdraw troops and tanks from population centres.

“This is in clear contravention to what the Syrian government has already agreed,” Mr Ban said.

In Damascus, Syrian TV aired footage of white smoke billowing from under a bridge as people streamed out of a mosque. The streets were stained with blood. The regime blamed the attack on “terrorists” trying to destabilise the country.

Opposition activists deny any role in the blasts,

Anas Haqqi, 13, said he was walking with his father when the bomb went off. “I fell on the ground,” said the boy, who was being treated for shoulder and leg wounds.

Large-scale bombings in Damascus and elsewhere in recent months has added a mysterious element to the anti-government revolt. Some US officials have suggested al-Qaeda militants may be joining the fray.