Suicide bomber kills 15 west of Damascus

A suicide bomber blew up a vehicle at a bus stop west of Damascus on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people, state television said. "The terrorist explosion in front of the bus stop in Somariyeh was caused by a suicide attacker," the broadcaster said in a news flash. "It killed at least 15 citizens and wounded more than 30." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the blast, and said that two children were among the dead. "Nine of those killed were civilians, while six were troops," said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, doctors and lawyers on the ground for its reporting. Somariyeh neighbourhood is home to "a complex housing families of soldiers fighting with the elite Fourth Division," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The Fourth Division is commanded by President Bashar al-Assad's feared brother Maher.