2nd LD Writethru: Senior Syrian officer wounded in Damascus blast: monitor

A senior Syrian officer was wounded in a blast that rattled a northern Damascus district earlier on Monday, a monitor group reported.

The blast targeted the convoy of the head of Syrian military supplies, who is believed to be Brig. Muhammad Eid, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The officer was wounded but two of his guards were killed in the blast that rocked the Rukn Addien neighborhood, north of the capital Damascus.

For its part, the state news agency SANA said Syrian government forces eliminated a terrorist group, after hunting its militants down in Rukn Addien. It added that one of the militants blew himself up.

SANA did not mention the target of the blast.

Meanwhile, sources and other local media said two explosions took place in Rukn Addien Monday morning, followed by an exchange of fire.

Five civilians were injured in the explosions, a source said on condition of anonymity.

The first blast, caused by an explosive device, happened near a military post in the eastern part of the Rukn Addien neighborhood, the source said.

The second one took place in the same neighborhood, but the causes are still unknown.

The explosions were followed by an exchange of fire that lasted for 15 minutes, the source said.

Rukn Addien, in northern Damascus, is a large district close to the hotspot areas of Qaboun and Barzeh.

In March 2013, a blast rocked the headquarters of military supply division in that neighborhood. Endit