Damascus explosion kills one soldier and wounds at least 11

Syria's state news agency says 'terrorist attack' targeted military bus

At least 11 soldiers were wounded and one killed in a bombing of a military bus in Damascus on Tuesday. AFP

A bombing in the Syrian capital killed one soldier and wounded 11 others on a military bus on Tuesday, the state-run Sana news agency reported.

The agency said the “terrorist attack” targeted the bus near the Customs Roundabout in Damascus and the explosion killed one soldier and wounded 11 others.

Attacks in the Syrian capital have been rare in recent years, despite the continuing civil war.

However, military bases have previously been targeted. In October, 14 soldiers were killed on a military bus when it was hit by an improvised explosive device.

The bombs were “attached to the bus” before it neared the Hafez Al Assad Bridge, a major flyover in the centre of the city, the source said. A third device was dismantled on site after the first blasts.

The October attack was reportedly claimed by the Al Qaeda-linked Qasiyun Brigades, a sleeper cell group that operates in and around the Syrian capital.