Two killed, 20 injured by suicide bombing in Syria's Daraa

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DAMASCUS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and 20 others injured Saturday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Syria's southern Daraa province, the state-run SANA news agency reported.

The suicide bomber was riding a car and carried out the attack at al-Masri intersection in the heart of Daraa.

The blast also caused damage to nearby buildings at the intersection, said SANA.

The incident came as part of many suicide bombings targeting governmental institutions and security agencies. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the attacks are proofs that it is being targeted by "armed terrorist groups," which it blames for the nearly one-year-old unrest.

Daraa, some 100 km south of the capital Damascus, was the birthplace of the anti-government movement that engulfed the country in March 2011.

The Syrian government said in December that "armed terrorist groups" killed more than 2,000 army and security personnel.

The United Nations said recently that "well over" 7,500 people have died in Syria's violence.

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11 people killed in fresh attack on a bus in central Syria

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were killed and another three were badly wounded Sunday when armed groups attacked their bus in Syria's central province of Homs, the private Sham FM radio reported.

The bus was transporting 14 passengers, including military personnel, when it came under fire, the report said, adding that three passengers managed to escape the gunfire and hide in a nearby storage, but were badly wounded.

The attack occurred at al-Fakhoura roundabout in Homs, when the bus was starting its trip to Damascus.

There has been no immediate official comment on the circumstances of the incident.

Homs, Syria's third largest city with a population of about 800, 000 people, has witnessed severe clashes between troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and armed groups allegedly consisting of army defectors, raising fears that the region is sliding toward a civil war.

The attack came just one day after a deadly attack that claimed the lives of at least 14 people when unidentified gunmen targeted a vehicle transporting prisoners in northwest Syria.

The Syrian government has blamed the incident as well as many others on terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs.

Damascus said some 2,000 army and security personnel have been killed since the unrest began in March 2011, while the UN has reported more than 5,000 deaths from the Syrian violence.

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