Rocket attack in Syria kills 10 soldiers, state media says

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

 Rocket fired by Iran-backed groups towards base hosting US forces in northeastern Syria, January 5, 2022 (photo credit: Courtesy/Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve)
Rocket fired by Iran-backed groups towards base hosting US forces in northeastern Syria, January 5, 2022
(photo credit: Courtesy/Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve)

A rocket attack targeting a military bus in Syria killed 10 soldiers and wounded nine more in the northwest on Friday, state news agency SANA reported, in a deadly flare-up near the frontier with rebel-held territory close to the Turkish border.

The bus was hit in the Anjara area west of Aleppo at 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT), SANA said. Militants had targeted the vehicle with an anti-tank rocket, it added, giving no further details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said opposition fighters carried out the attack and that the death toll would likely rise. The UK-based Observatory reports on the conflict using what it describes as a network of sources on all sides.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria May 10, 2018. (credit: REUTERS/OMAR SANADIKI)
Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria May 10, 2018. (credit: REUTERS/OMAR SANADIKI)

Northwestern Syria, near the border with Turkey, is the last major stronghold of insurgents fighting the Syrian government the country's 11-year-long war. Turkish forces, which back some rebel groups, are deployed in the rebel-held area.

The main frontlines in the conflict, which spiraled out of protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, have been largely frozen for several years.