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Security forces carried out raids in the Syrian capital and the
surrounding areas, and “succeeded in dismantling the entire cell
responsible” for the bombings, the Interior Ministry said in a
statement.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, Internal Security Forces' commander
for the rural Damascus province, later told state television
that the suspects were part of an IS-affiliated cell. He said
investigators had been able to identify one member of the cell
after reviewing security camera footage and tracked him to
identify the other suspects.
On Tuesday, explosive devices were planted in a garbage bin and
a parked car during Macron's landmark visit to Syria, a country
rebuilding from years of civil war. Macron, who was in the
presidential palace when the blasts happened, was not harmed and
continued with his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
The explosions killed one person and wounded 36 others,
according to the final casualty toll announced by Syria's
Ministry of Health.
Last week, an explosive device detonated in a cafe near
Damascus' main judicial complex, killing at least 10 people and
wounding more than 20.
The explosions are a challenge to al-Sharaa, who has pushed to
assert full control over Syria. He has appealed to minorities
skeptical of his government's Islamist-led rule and sought to
win support of Western governments concerned about his past
leadership of the formerly al-Qaida-linked group known as Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham.
His government has promised political and economic reform after
decades of autocratic rule of the Assad family, which ended when
former President Bashar Assad was ousted in an insurgent
offensive in December 2024 led by al-Sharaa.
The nearly 14-year civil war in Syria killed nearly half a
million people and displaced millions, leaving much devastation
and infrastructure in ruins. While other nations and businesses
have made large investment pledges, the country still needs
hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out
of poverty.
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