Two suicide bombers blew themselves up Tuesday at a central square in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least 14 people.
Activists and Syrian state media say one of the explosions took place inside a police station and that many among the dead were policemen.
State television blamed "terrorist" suicide bombers for the explosions, and said 31 others were injured. The Syrian government uses the term "terrorists" to refer to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
Damascus's Marjeh district has been the site of several bombings since the Syrian conflict began as peaceful protests in March 2011.
Also Tuesday, Austria began withdrawing peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, winding down a four-decade mission due to spillover fighting from the Syrian civil war.
A defense ministry spokesman said the first 60 to 80 soldiers will land in Vienna on Wednesday. The Austrians have patrolled the buffer zone between Israel and Syria as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission since it was set up in 1974.
The Vienna government said last week it would pull out after worsening fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces sent its soldiers running for cover.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency said it is in talks that could lead to the U.S., Germany and several other European countries taking in thousands of Syrian refugees.
UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said officials are discussing the temporary resettlement of about 10,000 refugees from Syria's civil war.
Refugee numbers have spiraled to 1.6 million after more than two years of fighting in Syria, with most fleeing to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, as well as to Egypt.
The U.N. has warned that the total could reach 3.45 million this year.
Activists and Syrian state media say one of the explosions took place inside a police station and that many among the dead were policemen.
State television blamed "terrorist" suicide bombers for the explosions, and said 31 others were injured. The Syrian government uses the term "terrorists" to refer to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
Damascus's Marjeh district has been the site of several bombings since the Syrian conflict began as peaceful protests in March 2011.
Also Tuesday, Austria began withdrawing peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, winding down a four-decade mission due to spillover fighting from the Syrian civil war.
A defense ministry spokesman said the first 60 to 80 soldiers will land in Vienna on Wednesday. The Austrians have patrolled the buffer zone between Israel and Syria as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission since it was set up in 1974.
The Vienna government said last week it would pull out after worsening fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces sent its soldiers running for cover.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency said it is in talks that could lead to the U.S., Germany and several other European countries taking in thousands of Syrian refugees.
UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said officials are discussing the temporary resettlement of about 10,000 refugees from Syria's civil war.
Refugee numbers have spiraled to 1.6 million after more than two years of fighting in Syria, with most fleeing to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, as well as to Egypt.
The U.N. has warned that the total could reach 3.45 million this year.