Bus bombs kill 14 in Syria capital; shells elsewhere kill 10

By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Two bombs attached to a autobus carrying Syrian troops exploded successful Damascus during the greeting unreserved hr Wednesday, a subject authoritative said. Fourteen radical were killed successful the attack, 1 of the deadliest successful the superior successful years.

While the Syrian government’s decade-long struggle with insurgents continues successful parts of the state including the rebel-held northwest, bombings successful Damascus person go exceedingly uncommon since President Bashar Assad’s troops pushed absorption fighters from the capital’s suburbs successful 2018.

The explosions, which besides near respective wounded, happened astatine a engaged intersection, adjacent a main autobus transportation constituent wherever commuters and schoolchildren typically converge. After the blasts, Syrian authorities TV showed footage of fume rising from a charred autobus arsenic soldiers hosed down the conveyance and onlookers flocked to a adjacent span to watch.

No 1 instantly claimed work for the attack, but respective insurgent and jihadist groups that question to overthrow Assad are progressive successful Syria.

Separately, rescue workers reported 10 radical were killed, including 4 children and a woman, successful authorities shelling of a municipality successful the past rebel enclave successful the country’s northwest. The U.N. Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Cutts described arsenic “shocking” the reports of the shelling that deed a marketplace and roads adjacent schools arsenic students were heading to classes.

In summation to the 4 children killed, their teacher besides died, according to UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency.

“Today’s unit is yet different reminder that the warfare successful Syria has not travel to an end. Civilians, among them galore children, support bearing the brunt of a brutal decade-long conflict,” the bureau said.

The onslaught was 1 of the astir convulsive successful the country since a March 2020 truce successful the northwest negotiated by Turkey and Russia — allies of the absorption and Syrian government, respectively. The truce has been repeatedly violated, and authorities forces often vow to instrumentality territories inactive retired of their control.

In the cardinal metropolis of Hama, meanwhile, an detonation astatine an arms depot near six pro-government fighters dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an absorption warfare monitor.

While warring inactive rages successful the northwest, Assad’s forces present power overmuch of Syria aft subject enactment from his allies Russia and Iran helped extremity the equilibrium of powerfulness successful his favor. U.S. and Turkish troops, meanwhile, are deployed successful part’s of the country’s north.

In caller years, attacks specified arsenic Wednesday’s person been uncommon successful Damascus. One of the past large explosions to instrumentality spot determination was successful 2017 — erstwhile termination bombers deed a judicial bureau gathering and a restaurant, sidesplitting astir 60 people. The attacks were claimed by Islamic State radical militants. The extremist enactment has not held territory successful Syria since 2019, but it continues to correspond a menace with sleeper cells, mostly hiding successful Syria’s expansive desert.

State media initially described the Damascus onslaught arsenic a roadside bombing. But they aboriginal quoted an unnamed Syrian subject authoritative arsenic saying that bombs were attached to the vehicle’s exterior. A 3rd weaponry fell from the autobus and was dismantled by troops, the authoritative said. It is emblematic for the authorities to merchandise accusation utilizing anonymous sources successful authorities media. It was not wide if each the dormant were autobus passengers.

Wednesday’s shelling successful the northwest deed the municipality of Ariha, successful Idlib province, which is mostly controlled by rebel groups, including the ascendant Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, erstwhile affiliated with al-Qaida.

The Syrian Civil Defense, besides known arsenic White Helmets, said speech from the 10 killed, 20 much were wounded erstwhile dozens of shells landed successful the town. The rescuers said they were inactive searching done the wreckage for survivors.

Syria’s struggle began successful March 2011 and has near betwixt 350,000 and 450,000 radical dormant and displaced fractional the country’s population, including 5 cardinal who are refugees abroad.

On Wednesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch called connected countries successful the portion and Europe hosting Syrian refugees to halt forcing them to instrumentality to the war-torn country. The rights radical said portion progressive hostilities whitethorn person decreased successful caller years, the Syrian authorities has continued to prosecute the aforesaid abuses against citizens that led them to fly successful the archetypal place.

In its report, HRW said it has documented 21 cases of apprehension and arbitrary detention, 13 cases of torture, 3 kidnappings, 5 extrajudicial killings, 17 enforced disappearances and 1 lawsuit of alleged intersexual unit among 65 refugees oregon household members interviewed.

“The harrowing accounts of torture, enforced disappearance, and maltreatment that refugees who went backmost to Syria endured should marque it patently wide that Syria is not harmless for returns,” said Nadia Hardman, exile and migrant rights researcher with HRW.

___

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb successful Beirut besides contributed.