19 killed as bomb hits bus in Syria

A roadside bomb targets a bus in the Homs province village of Jbourin, which is predominantly Alawite, a sect to which President Bashar Assad belongs.

September 19, 2013 03:08 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:21 pm IST - DAMASCUS

A Syrian official says a roadside bomb has targeted a bus in the country’s central province, killing 19 people.

The official at the Governor’s office in Homs province says Thursday’s explosion in the village of Jbourin also wounded four people on the bus. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The village is predominantly Alawite, a minority sect to which President Bashar Assad belongs, but it also has Christians and Sunnis. It was not immediately clear why the bus was targeted.

Syria’s civil war, which has left more than 100,000 dead since the crisis erupted in March 2011, has taken increasingly sectarian overtones. Most of the rebels trying to overthrow Mr. Assad belong to the majority Sunni sect.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.