Five die as bomber targets student minibus in Syrian city of Homs

A BOMB planted in a taxi carrying university students in the Syrian city of Homs killed at least five people and wounded four others, a local police chief has said.

Major General Khaled Hilal said the explosion went off in the 14-passenger van around midday in the city’s al-Zahra district.

Most residents of the neighbourhood are Alawites, a minority sect that has traditionally formed the backbone of support for President Bashar Assad.

The Syrian opposition is mainly drawn from the country’s Sunni Muslim majority.

The attack came as Syrian rebels and their families were in the process of evacuating the last opposition-held neighbourhood in the central city under a surrender agreement with the government.

The opposition has criticised the evacuation of the long-besieged al-Waer area, saying it amounts to the forced displacement of civilians, allegations the government denies.

Maj Gen Hilal said initial reports indicate a man placed a plastic bag under one of the van’s seats and left the vehicle before the bomb went off.

Footage aired on al-Ikhbariya state TV shows the skeleton of the van after the explosion, with the roof blown off.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an oppositionrun monitoring group, said at least two people were killed.

Syria’s conflict began with peaceful protests against President Assad in 2011, but escalated into a civil war after a brutal government crackdown and the rise of an armed insurgency.

It became increasingly sectarian with the rise of Sunni insurgent groups and the arrival of Shiite militants from across the region to fight alongside President Assad’s forces.