DAMASCUS, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The spate of blasts that have targeted Alawite-dominated areas in the Syrian capital Damascus over the past days aim to fan the flames of sectarian tension in the country, analysts said.
On Monday, at least 11 people were killed and scores of others wounded when a booby-trapped car sliced through Damascus' al-Mazeh 86 district, a district known for being dominated by the Alawite minority, to which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the ruling elites belong.
Most of the Damascus-based army and security officers along with their families live in that area. It also houses some Kurds and other factions of the Syrian society.
On Tuesday, at least 15 people got killed when three explosive devices rocked al-Wurud Square in the Damascus suburb of Qudsia, another stronghold for Alawites.
At early hours Wednesday, mortar shells struck al-Mazzeh 86 for the second time within days and resulted in an unknown number of casualties.
It is worth mentioning that many children have been either killed or injured in the latest series of blasts, due to the density of population in the targeted areas.
Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, make up about 12 percent of Syria's 23-million population. Sunni Muslims, the opposition's backbone, constitute about 75 percent of the population...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-11/07/c_131957493.htm