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The other bomb weighed almost the same, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with military rules. Maj. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh, head of military intelligence, said the attacks were proof of a foreign campaign to strike at Syria. "We will fight this project until the last drop of blood," he declared. In the years before the uprising, Syria had occasional clashes with al-Qaida-linked militants, and the Sunni terrorist network has denounced the regime, which is largely secular and led by Assad's minority Alawite sect, a Shiite offshoot. In September 2008, a suicide car bomber struck outside a security building on Damascus' southern outskirts, killing 17 people in the deadliest attack in decades. Friday's blasts came as the government escalated its crackdown this week ahead of the arrival of the Arab League observers. More than 200 people were killed in two days, including an attack Tuesday in which activists and witnesses said troops pounded more than 100 fleeing villagers trapped in a valley with shells and gunfire, killing all of them. The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed since March, when the uprising began and the regime responded by deploying tanks and troops to crush protests across Syria. The Arab League observer team is supposed to verify Syria's implementation of promises to pull back its troops and halt the crackdown. But the regime has said the team will vindicate its claims that terrorists are behind the country's turmoil, with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem saying it's in Syria's interest for the observers to see what is really happening in the country. David Hartwell, Middle East political analyst at IHS Jane's in London, said the timing of the bombings "is certain to be viewed with suspicion by the opposition." He said government critics are likely to highlight the timing of the attacks as "more than a little coincidental." He added that the Arab League "will need to work extremely hard" to show it is not being played by the Syrians in an effort to stall for time. After the advance team arranges logistics, a group of observers is to head for Syria on Monday to begin work, said Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ahmed bin Helli. The league had initially said the team would arrive this weekend, and bin Helli gave no reason for the change. Bin Helli told the broadcaster Al-Jazeera that the bombings didn't alter the plans of the mission but said the team would look into what happened. "We are expecting a lot of details about this crime that left behind this large number of victims," he said. Activists also reported anti-government protests in several locations across Syria after Friday prayers during which security force shot and killed at least 15 people, mostly in restive Homs province, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, put the death toll at 16. The LCC added that since the Arab League team arrived, security forces have killed 56 people. Assad's regime has warned that the turmoil will throw Syria into chaos, religious extremism and sectarian divisions, a message that resonates among Alawites and minority Christians who fear reprisals from the Sunni majority. Haifa Nashar, a 45-year-old Sunni living in Kfar Sousa, wailed as she stood outside the General Intelligence Agency. "I've never seen anything like this in my life, may God curse their souls!" she cried. She denounced Qatar, the Arab Gulf nation that has been at the forefront of criticism of Syria and pushed for Arab League sanctions against it. "There was never any difference between Syrians, Sunnis, Christians and Alawites," she added. "But if this is what they want, then I say Alawites are above anyone else."
[Associated
Press;
Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report from Beirut.
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