Premature car bomb blast kills 29 militants in Syria

At least 29 foreign-backed militants have been killed in Syria while preparing a car bomb in the central part of the Arab country. According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the explosion took place on Sunday in the city of Homs. “The death toll is likely to rise because there are dozens of people missing and body parts in the area of the blast,” the Britain-based group said. Syria’s state news agency SANA also reported the bomb blast. Earlier in the day, the militants carried out fresh mortar attacks against populated areas in the capital, Damascus, killing at least two civilians. One of the mortar shells landed on Damascus Opera House in the al-Abbasyeen neighborhood, injuring five civilians in the area, SANA reported. Citing a source at Damascus Police Command, the report added that a second mortar shell struck al-Ghassani neighborhood in the same area, injuring at least three residents and damaging nine vehicles and a house. The latest attack came as civilian quarters of the Syrian capital have been targeted with mortar fire for the second consecutive day. Nearly two dozen other civilians in Damascus were injured by militant mortar fire a day earlier. Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria. MR/PR