DAMASCUS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Three big blasts rattled Syria's northern province of Idlib on Wednesday, targeting military checkpoints, media reports said, as clashes between the rebels and Syrian troops continued in the surrounding hot spots of the capital Damascus.
The blasts in Idlib were believed to be caused by booby-trapped cars that ripped through three army checkpoints in Idlib province, al-Khabar TV said.
The first blast, the TV said, targeted a military checkpoint at Idlib-al-Mastoumeh road, injuring many army members. The second blast targeted a security checkpoint at al-Mutlaq roundabout, also injuring many army members, according to the TV.
The third one, meanwhile, occurred in al-Thawra neighborhood, injuring eight civilians and causing damages to buildings, according to the TV report.
For its side, the pro-government news network, Ajel, placed the death toll of the blasts at 22 people, with more than 30 injured.
Further details about the blasts couldn't be obtained with the absence of official media comments.
The triple blast came just one day after at least 82 people got killed in an explosion that rocked the main university of the country's northern city of Aleppo. The two sides of the conflict traded accusations over who was responsible for the attack.
On Tuesday, the state-run SANA news agency said that a " terrorist group" fired two rocket shells from al-Lairamoun area on Aleppo University, while activists said a government troops' airstrike caused the carnage.
In the capital Damascus, meanwhile, the army troops were reported to have been beefing up presence and ringing the entrances of the suburb of Daraya in a bid to wrest back control there after more than one month of intense fighting with the rebels, activists said, adding that more than five people were killed Wednesday due to the shelling.
Activists also reported shelling and clashes elsewhere in the war-engulfed country, placing the initial death toll of the violence on Wednesday at 25.
According to the UN estimates, more than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest erupted in 2011. Also, the World Food Program (WFP) said that around 2.5 million people in Syria are in need of food relief but only 1.5 million can receive supplies from the agency.
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