Al-Nusra Front Jihadists Claim Damascus Suicide Bombs

A report from Telegraph UK (via Memeorandum):

A little-known jihadist group has claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing in the Syrian capital Damascus which killed 55 people and wounded nearly 400.

Many of the casualties were burnt alive in their cars as they waited in rush hour traffic on Friday near offices of a government intelligence organisation, the intended target.

In the video, a group calling itself the Al-Nusra Front says the bombing was in response to attacks on residential areas by the regime of President Bashar Assad.

"We fulfilled our promise to respond with strikes and explosions," a distorted voice said, reading black text that rolled across a white screen while Islamic chanting was heard in the background.

The attack was frighteningly similar to al-Qaeda bombings in next-door Iraq, which have killed thousands of people since the US and British invasion in 2003.

The Al-Nusra Front has claimed past attacks through statements posted on militant websites. Western intelligence officials have suggested it could be a front for an al-Qaeda branch operating in Iraq.

Also at Jawa Report, "Jabhah Al-Nusra Claims Damascus Bombing."