Explosions rock Syrian capital - CNN.com Green tape cordons off the scene following twin bomb attacks on security buildings in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday. NEW: 16 people have died in violence elsewhere in Syria Saturday, opposition activists say Health minister says at least 27 people were killed and 97 injured, state TV reports Two booby-trapped cars exploded in crowded areas, a state news agency says One of the buildings targeted was the Air Force intelligence headquarters (CNN) -- A series of deadly explosions rocked parts of Damascus Saturday with some of the targets being Syrian government facilities, witnesses and state television reported. At least 27 people were killed and 97 others were wounded in two blasts, state TV reported, quoting Syrian Health Minister Wael Halki. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said early indications were that two booby-trapped cars exploded in crowded areas. It put the death toll at 44, with 166 people injured and serious damage caused to surrounding buildings. State TV reports blamed the explosions on "terrorists." A third explosion occurred in a bus belonging to a Palestinian refugee camp in another part of Damascus, witnesses said. Syrian state TV did not confirm that that blast happened. The explosion by the customs criminal investigations department was only a short distance from Umayyad Square, where state media reported Friday that huge numbers turned out to demonstrate in support of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The capital was hit by another blast in January. The Local Coordination Committees (LCC) of Syria, an opposition activist network, reported seeing a large white cloud of smoke hanging above Damascus Friday. Sixteen people were killed elsewhere in Syria Saturday, the LCC said, including a child, two military defectors, and two people under torture. The child, 11, died in the city of Raqqa when security forces fired on a funeral procession, the LCC said. Six other deaths occurred in Raqqa and four in Homs, the LCC said, with the others reported in Jabal al-Zawiyah, the town of Tremseh, in Hama province, and Inkhel, in Daraa province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based opposition group, said two policemen were killed and three more injured after an attack by unidentified gunmen early Saturday at a police station in the town of Haritan, in the Aleppo region. The latest violence comes a day after Kofi Annan, special joint U.N-Arab League envoy, briefed the U.N. Security Council Friday on the Syrian crisis via a private teleconference. The former U.N. secretary-general said the situation in Syria is "much more complex" than that in Libya or other nations. It's a conflict in a region of the world that has seen many, many traumatic events. I think we need to handle the situation in Syria very, very carefully," he said. Any miscalculation that leads to major escalation will have impact in the region. Asked about the prospects of a coalition government, Annan said such a development would have to emerge from talks among Syrians. U.N. Security Council members are backing Annan's efforts, said Mark Lyall Grant, the British ambassador to the United Nations and the current council president. Grant didn't disclose details about the meeting but told reporters the session was "comprehensive." Bashar Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, also told reporters that "Syria is committed to making Mr. Annan's mission successful." Annan met last weekend with the Syrian president in Damascus and the Syrian opposition in Turkey in an effort to end the violence that has swept the nation since Syrian security forces cracked down on protesters a year ago. Annan's efforts came as shelling and arrests in the country intensified. Peaceful marchers took to the streets Friday in nationwide protests calling for "immediate military intervention," the theme of the day's demonstrations and a reference to opposition calls for outside military intervention. The Syrian government Friday underscored its position on terror in letters to top U.N. officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It said it was protecting its citizens from "terrorists" who are slaughtering and murdering "innocent citizens." The government said Syria is working to find a political solution to the crisis and wants to cooperate with Annan. More than 8,000 people have died in the conflict, according to the United Nations, but opposition activists say the overall toll is more than 9,000, most of them civilians. CNN's Caroline Faraj, Salma Abdelaziz and Saad Abedine contributed to this report.