Deadly blast rocks Lebanese city
September 29, 2008
Security forces at the scene of the explosion
At least five people have been killed in a suspected car bomb attack on a military bus carrying soldiers in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.
Witnesses said the blast happened on the outskirts of the city during morning rush hour. Some 30 people are believed to be wounded.
Several soldiers as well as civilians were killed in a similar blast that hit a bus in the city last month.
Tripoli has been hit by sectarian fighting in recent months.
Such attacks threaten the reconciliation effort aimed at ending the fighting between pro-government Sunni fighters and pro-Syrian gunmen.
Threatened deal
Lebanese officials said the blast came after a car parked by a busy roadside near the southern entrance to the city was detonated by remote control.
The explosives were believed to have been mixed with nuts and bolts, and shattered nearby windows and damaged other cars.
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The blast appeared to target a military bus that was passing through morning traffic in the Bahsas neighborhood at the time.
Security sources said four of the dead and at least 21 of the wounded were soldiers, the rest were civilians.
TV pictures showed soldiers sealing off the area and preventing people from approaching the scene of the blast.
Government officials said an investigation into the attack was under way, but no one had yet claimed responsibility.
At least 14 people were killed in a similar attack on a bus in the city in August. Several of the victims were off-duty soldiers.
However, tensions in the area appeared to ease earlier this month after the two sides agreed a reconciliation deal.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
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