Car bomb attack kills 10 soldiers at Damascus military airport

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 10 government soldiers were killed Sunday when a car bomb targeted a checkpoint at a military airport in an upscale neighborhood of the Syrian capital of Damascus, activists said Monday. It was followed by a rocket attack on the airbase.

The attack took place late on Sunday evening when a car bomb exploded at a military checkpoint at the entrance to the military airport in Mazzeh district, one of the capital's most modern and upscale areas that also houses a number of embassies. Syrian state media confirmed a blast took place at the airport.

The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OHR) said at least 10 government soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured, although the figures could not be independently verified and state media provided no details about the number of casualties. "The explosion was followed by sirens of ambulances," activists said.

The group said the car bomb attack was also followed by a rocket attack on the airport, but it was not immediately clear whether it caused additional damage or casualties. Video footage claiming to show the aftermath of the attack showed flames reaching into the night sky in a distance.

The crisis in Syria began as a pro-democracy protest movement in March 2011, similar to those across the Middle East and North Africa. The Syrian government violently cracked down on the protests, setting off an armed conflict between pro-Assad forces and anti-government forces. A number of jihadist groups have since joined the fight against Assad's regime.

The United Nations estimates that more than 90,000 people, many of them civilians, have been killed and more than 1.3 million others have fled to neighboring countries since the start of the uprising in 2011. Opposition groups estimate the number of deaths is far higher, but those figures cannot be independently verified.

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