Syria: 'Vacuum Bombs' Target Civilians in Urban Areas

February 25, 2013 from Al Jazeera English

WARNING: Graphic Content. While diplomats seems to be making headway abroad, within the country the bombing in Syrian cities seems endless. Several people were killed in an air campaign in Douma in the outskirts of Damascus. Witnesses claimed they were shelled by so-called "vacuum bombs", a type of explosive effective in destroying urban areas. Al Jazeera's Nick Toksvig reports.

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Syrian Civil War

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were pa... Explore this topic

Thermobaric weapon

A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increas... Explore this topic

Douma

Douma is a city in Syria. Its centre is about 10 km north-east of the centre of Damascus. Being the centre of Rif Dimashq governorate, the town is also the administrative centre of Douma District. During the Syrian unrest, Douma has been a major flashpoint and has witnessed nu... Explore this topic

Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, i... Explore this topic

Damascus

Damascus, commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham and nicknamed as the City of Jasmine, is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo. It borders Quneitra, Daraa and As-Suwayda to the south, Jordan to the east, Homs to the north, and Lebanon to the west. It is a... Explore this topic

Civilian casualties

Civilian casualties is a military term describing civilian or non-combatant persons killed, injured, or imprisoned by military action. The description of civilian casualties includes any form of military action regardless of whether civilians were targeted directly. This diffe... Explore this topic

Air strike

An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, and attack helicopters. The official definition includes all sorts of target... Explore this topic

Urban area

An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets. Urban areas are... Explore this topic

Building collapse

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Bakery

A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises. Some bakery shops pro... Explore this topic

Also See

Syrian Civil War

Thermobaric weapon

Douma