Injured Chinese diplomat in Syria "in stable condition", says FM spokesman

The injured Chinese diplomat in Syria is in stable condition in a local hospital, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement posted on the ministry's website here Tuesday.

According to Qin, political counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Syria, Li Hongyu, was slightly injured when he was hit in the face by a flying shrapnel.

He has been sent to a hospital for emergency treatment.

The American embassy in Damascus, capital of Syria, was attacked by a group of militants on Tuesday morning, and three militants were killed but no one in the embassy was hurt.

The Chinese embassy is located very close to the U.S. embassy, Qin added.

The attack occurred at about 10:05 a.m. (0705 GMT) and intense gunfire was heard in a following gunbattle.

The district, where many foreign missions, vital security installations, and houses of the most senior Syrian government officials are located, has been sealed off by security guards.

Another 10 citizens were also injured in this terrorist operation.

The attack happened just one day after the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States staged by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.

Source: Xinhua