On Feb. 10, two security facilities in Aleppo, Syria, were struck by car bombs in separate incidents. The Military Security Branch headquarters and al-Orkoub area's law enforcement headquarters were severely damaged by the attacks. In both locations, the blasts shattered windows, destroyed nearby vehicles and warped a cast iron fence on the perimeter of the buildings — leaving concrete blocks and bodies strewn around the area. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, the attacks killed at least 28 individuals, including civilians, and wounded 235 others. Photos from Syrian state media show one building — it appears to be the Military Security Branch headquarters — at least partially flattened and another showing severe structural damage. These photos also show the probable blast seat, located 100-150 feet in front of one of the buildings. The leaning beams and bent reinforcement bar from the perimeter wall indicate that the blast seat was outside the wall. The physical security measures, including the perimeter, functioned as designed, but the explosion was large enough to reach the building past the exterior wall. A similar twin bombing took place in Damascus on Dec. 23. That attack targeted two branches of Syria's Office of the Security Directorate and killed 40 people.
