Large parts of Syria hit by power cuts after attack

Large swathes of Syria were without electricity on Wednesday after a high voltage power line in the centre of the war-torn country was sabotaged, the electricity minister said. "A terrorist attack against a high voltage line in the central region triggered a power cut in most of the Syrian governorates," Imad Khamis said in comments carried on state television. In government terminology, "terrorist" refers to rebels battling against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Districts of Damascus, suburbs of the Syrian capital and areas further afield were without electricity from Wednesday morning, residents told AFP. Khamis said power was expected to be gradually restored soon. Power cuts have become a regular occurrence in Syria as the armed conflict that started in March 2011 as a rebellion against the Assad regime has intensified. Infrastructure in general is targeted. On Tuesday, rebels sabotaged a gas pipeline in northeast Syria, state news agency SANA said, forcing the closure of a gas plant and affecting around 10 percent of daily output. In February, Administration Minister Omar Ghalawanji said acts of sabotage had caused damage worth some $11 billion. Since the Syrian conflict broke out, more than 110,000 people have died, including over 40,100 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.