Protesters wave Syrian revolutionary flags during a demonstration at al-Hamra neighborhood in Homs, Syria, Friday, May 11. A Syrian opposition leader said Friday the regime is trying to destroy a UN-brokered peace plan for the country. (AP) 

 The Predictability Quotient

The opposition claims it was government forces.  The government claims the work to have been done by terrorists - as they have long claimed - involved in the background, with the opposition.  Because of the extreme virulent violence it seems that U.S. security officials and analysts are beginning to come around to the potential that there may be some truth to Damascus claiming that al-Qaeda is operating within Syria.

"Al-Qaeda in Iraq has taken the lead for al-Qaeda in getting involved in Syrian operations.  There are a number of U.S. estimates that point to this", admitted Seth Jones, an analyst at Rand Corp.

Committing atrocities is a reflection of the al-Qaeda style.  Al-Qaeda deplores and despises anything remotely resembling Western values and structures, while championing active political jihad through the denial of Western ideals, and the attempted destruction of kuffars, preferably in as large numbers as possible, and above all, involving gruesome scenarios carefully planned to extract as much terror from the society at target, as possible.

But then, the religious fanatics so embroiled and dedicated to their distinct view of Islamic precepts, have little use of Muslims who don't share their ideals, either.  And while there is a general attitude in most societies that houses of worship should be exempt, as holy sanctuaries, from any acts of violence as a note of grace to a higher order, it is peculiar that Islamists in general and al-Qaeda in particular do not subscribe to that view of the sacred.

Two weeks ago, in Damascus a bomb was deliberately placed near a mosque as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers.  On that occasion, eight Muslims devout enough to regularly attend Friday prayers, were blown apart.  This bombing also was blamed on the "terrorists" that have infiltrated Syria, made themselves comfortable among the wildly vociferous and determined opposition to the regime of President al-Assad.

Two near-simultaneous suicide car bombs have now succeeded in blowing an estimated 57 people from life on this humble Earth to begging to be admitted to Paradise.  An additional 372 people were wounded in Damascus on Thursday, a result of those two car bombs, representing the deadliest such attack yet to have taken place in the Syrian capital.  The ceasefire that never quite materialized is now never to be realized.

Of course the "abhorrent" bombings have been condemned by Kofi Annan, the architect of the moribund ceasefire.  

"This is yet another example of the suffering brought upon the people of Syria from acts of violence.  We have seen it here in Damascus, and we have seen it in other cities and villages across the country.  We the world community are here with the Syrian people, and I call on everyone within and outside Syria to help stop this violence."  Norwegian Mag.-Gen.Robert Mood, head of UN monitoring mission Syria.

The day before a bomb had exploded close to where UN observers were monitoring the ceasefire.  "We the world community" seems not to be enjoying much success, striving to put an end to the violence.

Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based Observatory has pointed out that 849 people - the number comprised of 628 civilians and 221 soldiers, 31 defectors among them - had been killed since the truce accord which began on April 12.  Thursday's deaths will be added to this abysmal total of lives wasted in a war that neither side is willing to ease up on.

President Bashar al-Assad's orders to his security forces are to continue their brutal crackdown on dissent.  Which guaranteed that the rebels would wholesale take up their arms once again.  Not that anyone, given the ongoing charges and conflicts, should have anticipated anything else.  And Mr. Annan, speaking to the UN Security Council, relayed his concerns at the prospect of civil war.