Car bomb blast in Syrian regime stronghold

BEIRUT -- An explosion struck near a Syrian government security building in the northern city of Aleppo Sunday, while a harsh security crackdown prevented opposition rallies marking one year since the first nationwide protests of the uprising against president Bashar Assad.

The Syrian state news agency called the Aleppo explosion a "terrorist bombing" and said one policeman and one female civilian were killed, while 30 were injured. It came a day after bomb attacks on other regime strongholds.

Three suicide bombings in the capital Damascus on Saturday killed 27 people. Two of them also targeted government security buildings and the regime accused the opposition, which it claims is made up of "terrorist" groups carrying out a foreign conspiracy.

Aleppo and Damascus, Syria's two largest cities, have been struck by a number of suicide bombings since December. Both are critical centers of support for Assad and have remained relatively insulated from the unrest shaking much of the country for the past year.

No one has claimed responsibility for any of the weekend attacks.

Mohammed Saeed, an Aleppo resident, said a car bomb exploded early afternoon about 200 yards from the Political Security Directorate. Security forces cordoned off the area to prevent people from approaching.

"It was a strong explosion. It shook parts of the city," Saeed said, citing residents. "White smoke was billowing from the area."

The explosion did not seriously damage the security building, he said. At that time of day the city's central Suleimaniyeh neighborhood is usually crowded with people, especially on Sunday, the first day of Syria's workweek.

The last major suicide bombing in Aleppo was on Feb. 10, when twin blasts struck security compounds, killing 28 people.