Violence intensifies in Syria as peace talks postponed

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Violence intensifies in Syria as peace talks postponed

(Xinhua) 08:14, November 07, 2013

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DAMASCUS, Nov. 6 -- Explosions and mortar attacks intensified on Wednesday in the unrest-torn country, leaving tens of people killed and wounded, a day after the long-awaited peace conference on Syria was postponed due to the division among the exiled Syrian opposition groups.

As many as 25 mortar shells slammed into several districts of the capital Damascus on Wednesday and a deadly car bomb left tens of people killed and wounded in the southern province of Sweida, according to local media reports. The media said the rebels were behind the attacks.

Eight people were killed and tens of others wounded Wednesday in the time-honored al-Hijaz Square in the heart of Damascus, when an explosive device ripped through the crowded square.

The blast in al-Hijaz was the deadliest among other mortar attacks in Damascus that left injuries and an undisclosed number of causalities.

The blast was followed by a powerful explosion that shook a busy roundabout in the southern province of Sweida, where the state media said eight people were killed and tens of others injured.

While the Syrian mainstream media spelled no details about the target of the Sweida blast, activists said the explosion was carried by a suicide car bomber that went off in the vicinity of the air-force intelligence headquarters in Sweida, which has remained largely calm during the country's long-standing conflict.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the Sweida blast killed seven soldiers and 27 civilians as activists said the blast also lead to the death of the head of the targeted headquarter and many of his soldiers.

The intensification of violence came just a day after the international community's failure to set a date for the commencement of the international peace conference on Syria, which was planned to convene in late November and designed to hammer out a political solution to the deadly conflict in Syria.

（Editor：LiangJun、Zhang Qian）