In Damascus, Syria, on October 16, a bomb exploded on a Syrian Defence Ministry bus in the eastern part of the country, resulting in the deaths of four soldiers and injuries to others, according to the nation's Oil Minister. Oil Minister Mohammed al-Bashir announced on the social media platform X that the soldiers were on their way to work as guards at an oil facility when the tragic incident occurred.
State-run Al-Ikhbariah TV reported that the explosion took place on the road connecting the eastern cities of Deir el-Zour and Mayadeen. The facility where the soldiers worked is located in the oil-rich region bordering Iraq.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, provided a slightly different toll, reporting that three soldiers were killed and nine were wounded in the attack. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, though the region is known to harbor sleeper cells of the Islamic State group, which was defeated in Syria in 2019.
The Islamic State (IS), which once held significant territories across Syria and Iraq, opposes the new leadership in Damascus led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa was formerly the head of al-Qaida's branch in Syria and has engaged in battles against IS.
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