SOHR: 13 killed in Syria bus attack

At least 13 people have been killed in an attack on a bus in northern Syria. The country’s defense ministry said most of those killed were members of the army.

A statement from the ministry said that 11 members of the army and two civilians were killed in a terrorist attack on a civilian transit bus.

The statement said three more army personnel were injured.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the attack took place in the Jabal al-Bishri area of ​​Raqqa province.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Islamic State’s sleeper cell carried out the ambush. They attacked the desert areas of the country and fled.

However, no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the 11-year-old conflict, Syria has been divided into several regions for control, with government troops and allied fighters controlling most of the territory.

Part of the country’s northwest is occupied by Turkish-backed rebels and more radical groups. In addition, US-backed Kurdish-led forces are occupying the northeastern region.

In December 2020, 26 people were killed in the deadliest bus attack on a main road in Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zor province.