Explosives planted in a taxi detonated in a Damascus suburb close to a Shiite Muslim shrine Thursday, killing not less than six individuals and wounding dozens a day earlier than the solemn holy day of Ashura, state media reported, citing the inside ministry.
State-run Al-Ikhbariya TV and the state information company mentioned Syrian Well being Minister Hassan al-Ghabash additionally reported that 26 individuals wounded within the blast within the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood have been being handled at a number of hospitals. Twenty others have been handled on-site or discharged, he mentioned.
The Britain-based opposition warfare monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights mentioned {that a} lady was amongst those that died and that her three youngsters have been wounded.
The Observatory mentioned the explosion occurred near positions of Iranian militias, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad alongside Russia in Syria’s civil battle now in its thirteenth yr.
Pictures shared by Al-Ikhbariya and pro-government media present a charred taxi surrounded by massive crowds of individuals and males in army fatigues. Inexperienced, crimson and black Ashura flags and banners hung from buildings within the space.
In a video shared on social media, individuals carried two males lined in blood and dirt off the bottom whereas calling for assist. The glass facades of outlets close by had shattered, whereas one was on fireplace.
The neighbourhood is known as after the shrine for Sayida Zeinab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Defending the shrine turned a rallying cry for Shiite fighters backing Assad within the early years of the battle because it turned from an anti-government rebellion right into a sectarian civil warfare.
Ashura is the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, which is without doubt one of the holiest months for Shiite Muslims. It marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, and his 72 companions within the battle of Karbala within the seventh century in present-day Iraq. Ashura marks the height of the mourning procession.
The explosion was the second within the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood within the days resulting in Ashura. On Tuesday, Syrian state media citing a police official mentioned that two civilians have been wounded when a bike laced with explosives was detonated.
