Ribal Al-Assad condemns bomb blasts at Aleppo University

Syria crisis: Dozens killed by Aleppo university blasts

15 January 2013

www.bbc.co.uk/news

More than 80 people have been killed by two blasts in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, activists and officials say.

The explosions reportedly struck an area between the University of Aleppo's halls of residence and the architecture faculty on the first day of exams.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 83, and Aleppo's governor said 82 people had died.

State TV said "terrorists" had launched rockets at the campus, but activists blamed missiles fired by warplanes.

In almost two years of fighting in Syria, Aleppo has been the scene of intense conflict between government and opposition forces.

However, neither side has been able to force the other to retreat for good, says the BBC's James Reynolds in neighbouring Turkey.

Video footage of the aftermath of the explosions in Syria's second city showed the facade of one of the university residences blown away.

Burned-out vehicles and bodies could be seen on the street outside, while tearful survivors were shown taking refuge in a nearby building.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said at least 83 people had been killed and 150 injured, with some in a critical condition. It said there were "conflicting reports of air raids and two explosions on the ground".

A military source told AFP that a stray surface-to-air missile fired by rebels had hit the campus, which lies in a government-controlled area of the city. The nearest rebel-held area is more than a mile away.

However, no rebel group has said it was behind the blasts, and opposition activists said government had sent fighter jets to bomb the campus.

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), an opposition activist network, posted a link to an online video which purported to show warplanes bombing the campus.

It showed students walking quickly away from the university after the first explosion. The camera then shakes to the sound of another explosion and people begin running.

Commenting on the bomb blasts, Ribal Al-Assad, Director of the ODFS, said:

"I condemn this heinous terrorist attack. The targeting of civilians can never be justified and is totally unacceptable. The cross border arms flow to into Syria has led to greater violence and killings which has brought Syria close to an unstoppable civil war. Therefore I call on all countries and groups who are supplying weapons to stop and for the the violence to cease.

"I call upon both sides in the Syrian conflict to engage in diplomacy and follow the principles set out in the Kofi Annan plan so that a peaceful, inclusive and democratic transition can take place."