DAMASCUS, SYRIA —
Two roadside bombs exploded close to a bus carrying troops in the course of the morning rush hour within the Syrian capital early Wednesday, killing 14 folks and wounding others, state TV reported.
The assault was the deadliest in Damascus in years, and a uncommon occasion since authorities forces captured suburbs previously held by insurgents in Syria’s decade-long battle.
Syrian state TV confirmed footage of the charred bus in central Damascus, saying the blasts occurred whereas folks have been heading to work and faculty. The report mentioned a 3rd bomb was found and dismantled in the identical space.
Nobody claimed duty for the assault, which occurred at a most important bus switch level below a bridge, the place automobiles converge and head out to completely different neighborhoods of the capital.
“It’s a cowardly act,” Damascus police commander Maj. Gen. Hussein Jumaa instructed state TV, including {that a} police pressure had cordoned off the world instantly and made positive there have been no extra bombs. He urged folks to tell authorities about any suspicious object they see.
Jumaa mentioned one of many wounded had succumbed to his wounds later Wednesday elevating the demise toll to 14.
Greater than an hour after the blast occurred, employees cleared the scene of the explosion, and the burnt-out bus was eliminated.
President Bashar Assad’s forces now management a lot of Syria after army assist from his allies Russia and Iran helped tip the stability of energy in his favor.
Syria’s battle that started in March 2011 has left greater than 350,000 folks lifeless and displaced half the nation’s inhabitants, together with 5 million who’re refugees overseas.
In August, Syria’s state media mentioned a brief circuit triggered an explosion within the gasoline tank of a bus carrying troopers, killing one and wounding three.
