39 Martyred by Terrorist Shelling on Syria Campaign Tent

Local Editor

In a blatant attack to target a campaign event, a mortar bomb slammed into a tent packed with civilians supporting President Bashar al-Assad, martyring 39 people and wounding 205 others, Syrian state TV said Friday.

The shelling underscored deep fears in that terrorists will escalate attacks in an attempt to disrupt the balloting.

Al-Assad is widely expected to win a third, seven-year mandate in the vote scheduled for June 3.

Campaigning has begun in earnest, with supporters waving his pictures and Syrian flags during daily demonstrations in the capital, Damascus, the coastal city of Lattakia and other areas.

Many gatherings have been held in so-called "election tents" where nationalistic songs are played and supporters mingle.

State TV showed pictures of civilians in a campaign tent in Deraa. It then showed people lying dead and wounded on the ground, including several children. Its toll was the first provided by the government for the attack, which opposition earlier said killed 21.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on opposition member for its reports, said at least 21 people, including 11 civilians, were killed.

Masalma said the attack "set the tent ablaze and sent shrapnel flying everywhere."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the mortar attack and reiterated his opposition to the indiscriminate use of any weapons by any party against civilians.
Deraa's Gov. Khaled al-Hannus described the attack as a "massacre" and "a crime by terrorists meant to prevent Syrians from taking part in the presidential elections."

Speaking on Syrian TV, he vowed Syrians will be undeterred and insisted "every honorable citizen" in Deraa will vote for al-Assad.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team