Syria releases 225 detainees imprisoned during the unrest

The Syrian government released Saturday a total of 225 detainees who were arrested during the 18- month-old unrest but were not involved in homicide acts, state-run SANA news agency said. The released detainees are from the capital Damascus and its suburbs, according to the report. The Syrian authorities have released several batches of detainees that were arrested during the government troops' operations on opposition strongholds and later turned out to have not committed any killings. The release came as the clashes around Damascus and elsewhere across the country are running high. Activists said 32 people had been killed Saturday while sources told Xinhua that an army physician Brigadier was killed Saturday when his booby-trapped car exploded near the Ibn al-Nafis hospital in Damascus. Another suicide car bomb went off Saturday in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, killing one person and injuring two children.