Suicide Car Bomb Kills 15 in Damascus

Strike Wounds Scores, Damages Buildings

Another in a long line of suicide attacks by rebel factions hit a business district in Damascus today, near a public school. The attack killed at least 15 people, damaged surrounding buildings and wounded 53 others.

Residents reported gunfire was heard near the scene after the attack. Reports from Syrian state media say that shots were fired in the area to clear bystanders and make room for ambulances to get to survivors.

So far it is unclear what faction was responsible for the suicide bombing, but the belief on both sides seems to be that the al-Nusra Front is likely to blame. While many of the secular rebels have eschewed the ‘suicide bombing against civilians’ model, the al-Qaeda linked Nusra has bragged about its use of similar tactics in the past.

It is unclear what exactly was attacked in the city, as the school appears to have been the closest thing to the site. The Finance Ministry and Central Bank are in the same district, but neither was damaged in the attack.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.