14 dead in Damascus: bomb attack on military bus

At least 14 people were killed in an attack in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attackers apparently targeted the military directly: They placed explosive devices on a bus occupied by soldiers.

At least 14 people were killed and others injured in one of the worst terrorist attacks in years in the Syrian capital Damascus. The state news agency Sana reported that two explosives attached to a military bus had exploded. A third explosive device could have been defused.

The explosives detonated under a bridge in central Damascus during the morning rush hour. Most of the fatalities were members of the military, it was said from military circles. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, these included officers. So far, nobody has confessed to the attack.

“That was a cowardly act”

The Syrian state television showed pictures of a burned-out, still smoking bus and soldiers firing the fire. Local residents said the two explosions could be heard clearly and caused panic among the population. Security forces cordoned off the area and controlled pedestrians.

“It was a cowardly act,” Damascus Police Chief Major General Hussein Jumaa said on state television. The police cordoned off the area and made sure that there were no more bombs. He urged the population to inform the authorities about any suspicious object.

Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad al-Rahmun said the attack aimed to injure as many people as possible. He promised to find the “terrorists who committed this heinous crime”.

Civilians killed in army attacks in Idlib

The attack was the worst in Damascus in years. Damascus is actually firmly under the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s government forces. These had also taken the rebel-controlled areas on the outskirts in 2018. Fighting continues in other parts of the civil war country.

In Ariha in the northwestern province of Idlib, at least eight civilians were killed in the shelling by government forces, including two children, according to the Syrian Observatory. The children were just on their way to school. 26 other civilians were injured.

After more than ten years of civil war, the Idlib region is the country’s last major rebel area. As protectors of the Syrian government and the opposition, Russia and Turkey have agreed on a ceasefire for the long-contested area. Since then the violence has decreased. However, there are repeated attacks in which civilians are often killed.