May 10 2012 |
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Syria violence begins to encroach on Damascus
LONDON - A rise in bomb attacks in Syria is putting the UN-brokered ceasefire increasingly in doubt. The intensification has also brought violence to the country's two major cities: Damascus and Aleppo.Dozens of people were killed and wounded following two explosions near a military intelligence complex in Damascus early today, while on 9 May a bomb attack took place next to a convoy carrying UN ceasefire monitors.
A notable trend of similar bomb attacks throughout the country is that no-one has claimed responsibility, leaving the government and rebels to blame one other. However, Islamist militants are also known to be operating in the country, although their current capabilities remain unclear.
According to AKE 's Middle East specialist Alan Fraser the uprising is becoming all the more real for Damascenes.
" AKE sources on the ground have highlighted the increasingly quiet streets by night, as families retreat to their homes to avoid the explosions and sporadic gunfire that is increasingly common."
"The government has been carrying out a growing number of security sweeps against those accused of fomenting unrest, and there are growing accusations of detainees being executed without trial. The city's suburbs have seen some of the worst violence, perpetrated by the secret police and regime thugs known as Shabiha [ghosts]."
Unrest took almost a year to reach the city centre, and life in Damascus is still continuing with a greater degree of normality. For now fear and the example set by the government in Homs, Hama, Idlib and Deraa is keeping people in their homes. However, demonstrations may increase in frequency once businesses begin to suffer and standards of living deteriorate in the capital.
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About AKE
Founded in 1991 by Andrew Kain, AKE provides security, intelligence and risk-management services to insurance, shipping, engineering and energy sectors, as well as supporting NGOs and the news media in hostile environments.
AKE Intelligence is based in the Lloyd's Building in London and provides forecasting, security risk-analysis and political risk-analysis to a variety of global clients. The department's Iraq intelligence can be accessed on AKE 's flagship intelligence product Global Intake. You can also request a trial of AKE 's reports by contacting the department at intel@akegroup.com.
Contact: Alan Fraser
+44 (0) 207 816 5454
alan.fraser@akegroup.com
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