By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Syrian President Bashar Assad attended the swearing-in of his new defense minister Thursday, according to footage shown on state TV, the first sign of the president since an audacious rebel attack the day before struck at the heart of his regime and killed three senior officials.
A bomb ripped through a high-level security meeting Wednesday in the Syrian capital, killing the defense minister as well as President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law in the harshest blow to the government's inner circle in the 16-month uprising.
Chaos reigned in Damascus on Wednesday as rebel forces attacked the heart of the Syrian regime in their most brazen maneuver in the 16-month-old revolt.
A bomb exploded Friday at a busy Damascus intersection, killing 25 people and wounding dozens in the second major attack in the Syrian capital in as many weeks, officials said, vowing to respond to further security threats with an "iron fist."
A government crackdown on two Syrian towns in the country's center and south killed at least 33 people, including an 11-year-old girl shot dead by troops during a fierce shelling, activists said Wednesday.
A government crackdown on two Syrian towns killed at least 33 people, including an 11-year-old girl shot dead by soldiers during a fierce shelling, activists said Wednesday.
The bomber "detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people," Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar told reporters.
