Syrian state media and an opposition monitoring group say an explosion has ripped through a van near the central city of Homs, killing at least eight people.
The Islamic State group claimed the attack in Akarma, a government stronghold south of Homs.
IS says it targeted a bus carrying Syrian soldiers, but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed were civilians, including six women.
Syrian state TV has aired images of the van’s charred body, as well as damaged vehicles nearby. State news agency SANA says eight people were killed and 18 wounded.
Homs, Syria’s third largest city, is frequently hit by bombs. The city was known as the “capital of the revolution” following the 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad, but is now under government control.
— AP
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