More than 110 people were killed on Thursday in an attack on a military academy in Syria, with the authorities promising to respond firmly, raising fears of escalation, reports AFP.
The injured following the attack are taken to the hospitalPhoto: Izettin Kasim / AFP / Profimedia
The attack committed during an officer promotion ceremony in Homs (central Syria) was blamed on “terrorist organizations” by the Syrian army, which promised to “respond firmly”. The attack was carried out with “drones loaded with explosives”, according to the army.
The attack left “112 dead, including 21 civilians” and at least 120 wounded, according to a new report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSHR), a UK-based organization with a vast network of sources in Syria.
The Syrian Minister of Health, Hassan al-Ghobash, announced a “preliminary” toll of 80 dead, “including six women and six children”, and approximately 240 wounded.
The attack has not been claimed, but jihadist groups that control part of Syrian territory sometimes use armed drones.
Government forces responded with bombings that, according to residents, targeted the Idleb region, the last rebel stronghold in the northwest of the country. OSDH mentioned eight dead and 30 injured.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “is deeply concerned” after the attack in Homs, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. For his part, the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for “an immediate de-escalation” of the violence in Syria on Thursday.
Begun in 2011, the conflict in Syria has left over half a million dead and divided the country. The United States, Russia, an ally of the regime, and Turkey have deployed troops to Syria.
On the other hand, the Turkish Ministry of Defense informed, in a statement released on Thursday evening, that its forces carried out airstrikes in northern Syria destroying 30 targets, including “shelters, warehouses and storage places”. Earlier on Thursday, Turkish media reported new strikes against Kurdish forces in Syria, saying “PKK/YPG weapons and ammunition caches were destroyed” during an operation by units of the MIT intelligence service.
The Kurds have established an autonomous administration in northeastern Syria, which is regularly targeted by the Turkish military. On Thursday, Turkish drones targeted oil sites, two power plants, a dam and a factory during the day in Hassake province, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated coalition. Kurdish forces announced that Turkey carried out 21 strikes that killed 11 people, including five civilians and six members of the security forces.
Turkey says it is acting in response to Sunday’s suicide attack that targeted the Interior Ministry in Ankara, injuring two police officers.
