A bomb explodes on Syrian Defense Ministry bus, killing 4 soldiers and wounding others

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A bomb exploded Thursday on a Syrian Defense Ministry bus in the country’s east, killing four soldiers and wounding others, the country’s oil minister said.

Oil Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said on the social platform X that the soldiers were killed and wounded while on their way to work as guards at an oil facility.

State-run Al-Ikhbariah TV said the explosion occurred on the road linking the eastern cities of Deir el-Zour and Mayadeen. The report said the soldier worked at a facility in the oil-rich region that borders Iraq.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three soldiers were killed and nine were wounded in the attack.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area is known to be home to sleeper cells of the Islamic State group that was defeated in Syria in 2019.

IS, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, is opposed to the new authority in Damascus led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al-Qaida’s branch in Syria and fought battles against IS.