BEIRUT — Syrian rebels assaulted a checkpoint in a pro-government suburb of Damascus on Saturday, setting off a suicide vehicle bomb that killed 16 soldiers, activists said.
[h=4]Connect With Us on Twitter[/h]Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
The state news agency SANA confirmed the blast in the suburb of Jaramana and said it caused casualties, but did not give a number.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts inside Syria, said that rebels led by the Nusra Front, the first Qaeda group to emerge in Syria, carried out the attack while trying to capture the checkpoint near the town of Mleiha adjoining Jaramana. Heavy fighting was reported after the explosion.
Rebels control much of the countryside around Damascus but Jaramana, a Christian and Druse area, is mostly loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Opposition fighters have previously targeted it with bombings and mortar rounds.
President Assad has drawn support from Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians and members of his Alawite sect. The rebels are dominated by Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority.
[h=4]Connect With Us on Twitter[/h]Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
The state news agency SANA confirmed the blast in the suburb of Jaramana and said it caused casualties, but did not give a number.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts inside Syria, said that rebels led by the Nusra Front, the first Qaeda group to emerge in Syria, carried out the attack while trying to capture the checkpoint near the town of Mleiha adjoining Jaramana. Heavy fighting was reported after the explosion.
Rebels control much of the countryside around Damascus but Jaramana, a Christian and Druse area, is mostly loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Opposition fighters have previously targeted it with bombings and mortar rounds.
President Assad has drawn support from Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians and members of his Alawite sect. The rebels are dominated by Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority.