Twin blasts in Damascus injure 16 people

 • Twin blasts that struck a district of the capital Damascus earlier on Friday have left 16 people injured.

 • The blasts occurred near a garden in al-Zahera area.

 • The blasts have become daily occurrences in Damascus as armed rebels intensified their attacks.

DAMASCUS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian state-TV said the twin blasts that struck a district of the capital Damascus earlier on Friday have left 16 people injured.

The TV said the blasts occurred near a garden in al-Zahera area, spelling no further details.

Earlier, witnesses told Xinhua that the two explosive devices went off in a swift succession in al-Zahera district, adding that the blasts were followed by intense shooting from the security members in that area.

Friday's explosions were coupled with intense hovering of Syrian warplanes over the capital amid reports that the jet fighters have broken the sound barrier twice.

The blasts have become daily occurrences in the capital as the armed rebels intensified their attacks in the hope of wobbling the government's tight grip on Damascus.

In another incident in the north, the pro-government Sham FM cited sources as denying media reports that the armed militiamen have taken control over an ancient citadel in the restive northern town of Harem at the outskirts of Idlib province.

The report said that large numbers of jihadist Afghani fighters have converged on the town from neighboring Turkey, adding that those foreign fighters were hoisting al-Qaida flags.

It said the local residents are still resisting those assailants.

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