Syrian defense minister killed in suicide bombing

Syrian Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha and his deputy Asef Shaukat, husband of President Bashar al-Assad’s sister, were killed by a suicide bomber at the Ministry for National Security today, RIA Novosti reports.

Liwa al-Islam, a radical Islamic organization, has taken responsibility for the blast.

The conflict in Syria has been ongoing for over a year, despite the peace plan of UN special envoy Kofi Annan implemented in mid-April. The UN says that over 12,000 people have died, 230,000 have become refugees and about a million need humanitarian aid. Syrian authorities say that over 2,500 servicemen and police officers and over 3,200 civilians have been killed by well-armed opposition.