Beirut (AsiaNews) - Overnight two bombs exploded near the security forces headquarters in Idlib, northeastern Syria, and an attack was carried out against the central bank in Damascus. Government sources put the death toll at eight, but the Syrian Human Rights Observatory put it at 20. Dozens of people have been wounded on both sides.
The two incidents come a few hours before the arrival in Damascus of Norwegian Major General Robert Mood (pictured), charged with supervising the ceasefire reached by United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Gen. Robert Mood acknowledged the huge task awaiting the planned 300-strong unarmed mission, which now has 30 people on the ground, but said he was confident it could make headway.
"We will be only 300 but we can make a difference," Mood said on his arrival in the Syrian capital. However, "30 unarmed observers, 300 unarmed observers, even 1,000 unarmed observers cannot solve all the problems," he noted. Therefore, "I call on everyone to help us and cooperate with us in this very challenging task ahead."
According to opposition sources, the presence of the first observers reduced the violence in Homs, one of the main centres of the revolt that broke out 13 months ago.
Meanwhile, about 90 per cent of the city's Christian community has left in a climate of suspicions and accusations, in which Muslim extremist groups are carrying out more and more acts of violence against Christians whom they accuse of siding with the regime.
Within the divided opposition, the Saudi-backed Muslim Brotherhood is also growing in strength, especially Wahhabis in the Free Syrian Army, which is fighting Syria's regular forces.
Syria's Christians, who represent 10 per cent of the population, are caught in the crossfire. On the one hand, the dictatorship has limited criticism but given the community a certain degree of freedom. On the other, the future appears increasingly Islamic. For this reason, whilst some want to see Assad fall; others continue to defend him. (PD)