[QUOTE]
[B]Rebels have carried out a suicide bomb attack overnight on an intelligence agency compound in a suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, reports say.
The al-Nusra Front, a jihadist militant group, said explosives-filled vehicles had been blown up outside the Air Force Intelligence complex in Harasta.
[/B]
Residents said there were several huge blasts, followed by fierce clashes.
One activist group said dozens of people were killed and expressed fears for the fate of the agency's prisoners.
Human rights activists say hundreds of opponents of President Bashar al-Assad have been detained and tortured by Air Force Intelligence (AFI) across the country since the uprising began in March 2011.
AFI is seen by some as the elite agency of Syria's intelligence empire.
Though smaller than Military Intelligence, in the past it has played a leading role in operations against Islamist opposition groups, as well as covert actions abroad, and has a reputation for brutality.
'Citadel of repression'
A statement issued by the al-Nusra Front said it had targeted the AFI "because it is one of the most notorious security divisions, and a citadel of repression whose extent is known only to God".
The group, which has claimed to be behind a series of deadly bombings since January, said a vehicle packed with nine tonnes of explosives had been driven up to the AFI compound in Harasta and blown up.
Twenty-five minutes later, another al-Nusra Front fighter blew up a one-tonne bomb hidden inside an ambulance, targeting survivors, it added. The fighters then fired mortars at the complex, the statement said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group, reported that several large explosions had shaken homes overnight in Harasta, as well as in the nearby suburbs of Jobar and Qabun.
The blasts were followed by violent clashes in several parts of Harasta, with government forces firing heavy weapons and mortars, it added.
The head of the SOHR, Rami Abdul Rahman, told the AFP news agency that dozens of people had been killed in the suicide attacks.
"The fate of hundreds of prisoners being held in the basements of the [security complex] is still unknown," he added. "The regime has not said a word about what happened last night."
The SOHR is one of the most prominent organisations documenting and reporting incidents and casualties in the Syrian conflict. The group says its reports are impartial, though its information cannot be verified.
A Syrian official told the Associated Press that a suicide bomber had detonated a car bomb near the AFI complex, while the pro-government TV channel, al-Ikhbariya, reported that the blast was followed by clashes.
'Unbearable' conflict
Elsewhere on Tuesday, government forces continued to attack rebel strongholds in the central city of Homs and the nearby town of Qusayr.
One security official told AFP that the army was trying to recapture besieged areas by the end of the week.
News of the violence came as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Syrian government to immediately declare a unilateral ceasefire, and the opposition to abide by it.
"It is unbearable for the Syrian people to continue like this," he told a joint news conference in Paris with French President Francois Hollande.
Mr Ban also called on countries to stop supplying weapons to both sides.
On Monday, the BBC found evidence that weapons intended for the Saudi military have been found at a base used by Syrian rebels.
The BBC's Ian Pannell saw crates from a Ukrainian arms manufacturer - addressed to Saudi Arabia - at a rebel camp in the city of Aleppo.
Our correspondent says there is believed to be an increasing supply of weapons and ammunition being paid for by supporters of the Syrian rebels in the Gulf. Saudi officials have refused to comment.
[/QUOTE]
[URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19880669"]bbc[/URL]
They should just use remotely controlled vehicles or something..
[QUOTE=laserguided;37969715][URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19880669"]bbc[/URL]
They should just use remotely controlled vehicles or something..[/QUOTE]
Brilliant! Why haven't anyone thought of that?
[Img]http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/carousels/111330_aleppo_car.jpg[/img]
oh..
[QUOTE=Hoffa1337;37969999]Brilliant! Why haven't anyone thought of that?
[Img]http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/carousels/111330_aleppo_car.jpg[/img]
oh..[/QUOTE]
This was in Damascus and that picture is from Aleppo. suicide bombing is a cowardly thing to do. Especially since they've been wasting lives in this shit for a long time. In their twisted minds they see themselves as glorious martyrs of the revolution and that all the civilians that die in the process are the same.
I'm not sure if you're endorsing terrorism or justifying it..
[QUOTE=laserguided;37970155]This was in Damascus and that picture is from Aleppo. suicide bombing is a cowardly thing to do. Especially since they've been wasting lives in this shit for a long time. In their twisted minds they see themselves as glorious martyrs of the revolution and that all the civilians that die in the process are the same.
I'm not sure if you're endorsing terrorism or justifying it..[/QUOTE]
You make a good number of arbitrary judgments, don't you?
[QUOTE=laserguided;37970155]I'm not sure if you're endorsing terrorism or justifying it..[/QUOTE]
He was making a UAV Drone joke.
[QUOTE=archangel125;37970165]You make a good number of arbitrary judgments, don't you?[/QUOTE]
Elaborate.
How did suicide bombing even become a thing? I can understand wanting to go out with a bang, but seriously.
[QUOTE=Ereunity;37970167]He was making a UAV Drone joke.[/QUOTE]
I thought he was trying to say that suicide bombing is all they've got.
[QUOTE=laserguided;37970171]Elaborate.[/QUOTE]
Suicide bombing is far from cowardly if your target is military or intelligence. In any war, they're fair game.
[QUOTE=pogothemunty;37970176]How did suicide bombing even become a thing? I can understand wanting to go out with a bang, but seriously.[/QUOTE]
Sacrificing yourself for the greater good, I guess.
[QUOTE=archangel125;37970191]Suicide bombing is far from cowardly if your target is military or intelligence. In any war, they're fair game.[/QUOTE]
They drive vans in densely populated urban areas up to a military building then blow themselves up in the name of Islam. Then all the people within 200m get killed for simply going about their daily lives. All this does is give credit to Assad's "they're terrorists" statement.
[QUOTE=laserguided;37970155]suicide bombing is a cowardly thing to do.[/QUOTE]
How many times did someone have to run in front of a machine gun before it became and act of cowardice?
Not that I condone it.
[QUOTE=laserguided;37970207]They drive vans in densely populated urban areas up to a military building then blow themselves up in the name of Islam. Then all the people within 200m get killed for simply going about their daily lives. All this does is give credit to Assad's "they're terrorists" statement.[/QUOTE]
I've seen gun camera footage of US Apache pilots using the AGM-114K Hellfire missile, taking out a street full of civilians to hit one insurgent hiding in a building in Iraq. That's war, mate. Tough shit.
At least the suicide bombers have the stones to sacrifice themselves in the attempt.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
And oh, boy, don't even get me started on drone Hellfire strikes in Pakistan.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
The AGM-114K Hellfire missile is an anti-armour and anti-structure weapon, weighing 100 pounds and carrying an extremely powerful tandem warhead. Its maximum effective range is 8,500m. Its engines fire for three and a half seconds, accelerating the missile, which glides the rest of the way to its target and intercepts the laser spot at Mach 1.2. The initial charge will explode to destroy reactive armour and penetrate a tank's outer skin - The second charge, the main warhead, explodes with a force of five million pounds per square inch on every surface the blast hits. It can cut through four meters of solid steel, is fully capable of collapsing buildings all by itself, and can gut any armoured vehicle known to man. Generally accepted Danger Close parameters for the Hellfire are no less than 200m.
The people I saw strolling on the street in that guncam video were unarmed civilians less than 20m away from the building, and the target was an insurgent marksman taking potshots at a coalition patrol.
When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of them.
[QUOTE=archangel125;37970319]I've seen gun camera footage of US Apache pilots using the AGM-114K Hellfire missile, taking out a street full of civilians to hit one insurgent hiding in a building in Iraq. That's war, mate. Tough shit.
At least the suicide bombers have the stones to sacrifice themselves in the attempt.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
And oh, boy, don't even get me started on drone Hellfire strikes in Pakistan.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
The AGM-114K Hellfire missile is an anti-armour and anti-structure weapon, weighing 100 pounds and carrying an extremely powerful tandem warhead. Its maximum effective range is 8,500m. Its engines fire for three and a half seconds, accelerating the missile, which glides the rest of the way to its target and intercepts the laser spot at Mach 1.2. The initial charge will explode to destroy reactive armour and penetrate a tank's outer skin - The second charge, the main warhead, explodes with a force of five million pounds per square inch on every surface the blast hits. It can cut through four meters of solid steel, is fully capable of collapsing buildings all by itself, and can gut any armoured vehicle known to man. Generally accepted Danger Close parameters for the Hellfire are no less than 200m.
The people I saw strolling on the street in that guncam video were unarmed civilians less than 20m away from the building, and the target was an insurgent marksman taking potshots at a coalition patrol.
When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of them.[/QUOTE]I had always thought using Hellfires on people was a bit overkill, but damn. I can understand using them to take out a planted IED in the road at the same time, but surely it'd be more sensible to use the 30mm gun on an urban sniper?
What the fuck is with Muslims and suicide bombs! They are basically the only people that do it!
[QUOTE=archangel125;37970319]I've seen gun camera footage of US Apache pilots using the AGM-114K Hellfire missile, taking out a street full of civilians to hit one insurgent hiding in a building in Iraq. That's war, mate. Tough shit.
At least the suicide bombers have the stones to sacrifice themselves in the attempt.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
And oh, boy, don't even get me started on drone Hellfire strikes in Pakistan.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
The AGM-114K Hellfire missile is an anti-armour and anti-structure weapon, weighing 100 pounds and carrying an extremely powerful tandem warhead. Its maximum effective range is 8,500m. Its engines fire for three and a half seconds, accelerating the missile, which glides the rest of the way to its target and intercepts the laser spot at Mach 1.2. The initial charge will explode to destroy reactive armour and penetrate a tank's outer skin - The second charge, the main warhead, explodes with a force of five million pounds per square inch on every surface the blast hits. It can cut through four meters of solid steel, is fully capable of collapsing buildings all by itself, and can gut any armoured vehicle known to man. Generally accepted Danger Close parameters for the Hellfire are no less than 200m.
The people I saw strolling on the street in that guncam video were unarmed civilians less than 20m away from the building, and the target was an insurgent marksman taking potshots at a coalition patrol.
When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of them.[/QUOTE]
Cut through 4 meters of steel? No, they have a penetration of 0.4m, or 400mm. A hellfire will not penetrate most MBTs frontally, however, hellfires are strictly designed to top attack targets
[QUOTE=dunkace;37970806]What the fuck is with Muslims and suicide bombs! They are basically the only people that do it![/QUOTE]
Extemist Islamist preachers teach people that if one sacrifices himself to kill infidel, he's going to go to heaven with virgins and shit.
When in reality, Quran forbids killing anyone in the name of Islam.
[QUOTE=Amplar;37971276]Cut through 4 meters of steel? No, they have a penetration of 0.4m, or 400mm. A hellfire will not penetrate most MBTs frontally, however, hellfires are strictly designed to top attack targets[/QUOTE]
I'm going by the information posted in Ed Macy's [I]Hellfire[/I]. To the best of my knowledge, it's accurate. Do the brits use a different hellfire missile?
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