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Watch 2 explosions target army HQ in Syrian capital today 26 Sep 2012

Watch 2 explosions target army HQ in Syrian capital today 26 Sep 2012

  Sep 26, 7:53 AM (ET) 
 By ALBERT AJI and ZEINA KARAM

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Twin blasts targeting Syria's army command headquarters rocked the capital on Wednesday, setting off hours of sporadic gunbattles and a raging fire inside the heavily guarded compound, state-run media and witnesses said.

An army statement said no military commanders or personnel were hurt in the explosions, one of which was from a car bomb. But Iranian Press TV said one of its correspondents, 33-year-old Maya Nasser, a Syrian national, died in an exchange of fire in the area following the blasts.

The explosions were the latest to hit the Syrian capital as the country's civil war intensified and appeared to show the deep reach of the rebels determined to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.
Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, said the explosions struck just before 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) near the landmark Omayyad Square. They were heard several miles (kilometers) away and shattered the windows of the Dama Rose hotel and other nearby buildings.


Rebels from the Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the bombings in a statement signed by the group's military council, saying dozens were killed in the attack.
The army command building was in flames, sending huge columns of thick black smoke that hung over Damascus for several hours following the blasts.

The blasts caused fear among residents of a nearby upscale district, which has largely been sheltered from the violence that plagues other parts of the city.

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