Suicide bombers attack courthouse and restaurant in Damascus

World Today

Suicide bombers struck a judicial building and a restaurant in Damascus, killing at least 30 people.

These attacks came on the sixth anniversary of Syria’s bloody, civil war. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and millions more have been displaced.

CGTN’S Alaa Ebrahim reports.

For the second time in four days, suicide attackers detonated bombs in Damascus.

The first attack of the day hit the busy justice palace in central Damascus. The attacker, who was disguised wearing a police uniform, blew himself up in a crowd of civilians.

Later, the situation became tenser with rumors of explosions in other parts of the city, putting many of the 5 million residents on edge.

Police sources told CGTN that they pursued other attackers who were preparing to follow up on the first bombing. After a 40-minute chase, three attackers were cornered in a restaurant and one of them detonated his bomb and the others were caught.

Swamped hospitals struggled to treat the victims as the twin attacks left more than a hundred wounded. This included children and many elderly women and men.

As night fell on Damascus, no one knew if the bloody day had really come to an end or were there more suicide attackers lurking in the darkness.

Many things have changed in Syria since the uprising started in 2011. The country that was one of the world’s safest has become a scene of violent conflicts.

For many, pre-2011 Syria is not just six years old, but a world away.


Ambassador Theodore Kattouf on 6-year anniversary of Syria’s civil war

As Syria approaches its sixth year of conflict, CGTN reflects on the country’s past, present and future. CGTN’s Elaine Reyes spoke to ambassador Theodore Kattouf, president of AMIDEAST.