Syria government: 30 killed, 100 wounded in blasts

More than 30 were killed and 100 wounded in bomb attacks targeting security and intelligence buildings in Damascus on Friday, the Syrian government said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Mekdad announced the death toll while accompanying an advance team of Arab League observers to the scene of the blasts, which state TV says targeted security and intelligence headquarters and appeared to have been carried out by al-Qaida.

Mekdad said the blasts bolster the Syrian government's claims that the turmoil shaking the country since March was the work of terrorists and armed gangs. "We said it from the beginning," he added.?

The blasts were the first such attack in the Syrian capital since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad in March and came a day after the Arab League observers arrived in the country .

"The terrorist attacks left a number of martyrs, both civilian and military. Most of the victims were civilian," state TV said.

Story: Syria: Nation at a crossroads

The explosions went off within minutes of each other. They took place in the upscale Kfar Sousa district.

Residents in Damascus reported hearing gunfire and ambulance sires for few minutes following the explosions.

The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed in the crackdown waged since March by the Syrian regime against protesters.

With the arrival of Arab observers, the government has been eager to make its case, saying Thursday that 2,000 of its security personnel and soldiers have been killed in the turmoil.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45774871/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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