Twin explosion in Syria

Two "terrorist explosions" struck security targets in the Syrian capital Saturday morning, killing a number of civilians and security forces, the country s state news agency said. A separate report said at least 27 people were killed in the explosions. The report said preliminary reports indicated they blasts were caused by car bombs that hit the aviation intelligence department and the criminal security department. One year into the Syrian revolt, the fight to oust President Bashar Assad is transforming into a nascent civil war. Syria has seen a string of suicide bombings, the last major one on Feb. 10, when twin blasts struck security compounds in the government stronghold city of Aleppo, killing 28 people. Damascus, another Assad stronghold, has seen three suicide previous bombings since December. The regime has touted the attacks as proof that it is being targeted by "terrorists." The opposition accuses forces loyal to the government of being behind the bombings to tarnish the uprising. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the explosions. The U.N. estimates that more that 8,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad began last March. In recent weeks, Syrian forces have waged a series of heavy offensives against the main strongholds of the opposition 

Homs in central Syria, Idlib in the north and Daraa in the south. In the assaults, the regime has seemed to depend on select units and has relied heavily on the minority Alawite sect, to which Assad and the ruling elite belong. That may be out of worries over signs that some Sunni army conscripts have refused to fire on civilians. Sunnis are the majority in the country of 22 million and make up the backbone of the opposition.