15 wounded in Syria bus attack

At least 15 people were wounded on Sunday when a mortar shell struck a communal bus in a street of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to Syria's official SANA news agency. Two mortar rounds slammed into the Beirut Street in Damascus, said SANA, adding that one of the mortars landed on a communal bus, injuring 15 and damaging a number of cars. Meanwhile, SANA said that in the northwestern province of Idlib, rebels fired mortar rounds at the al-Naora neighborhood and a local stadium, causing a woman and a little girl killed and 11 others wounded, most of whom were children. A day earlier, at least six people were killed by similar mortar shelling in Damascus and elsewhere in the war-torn country. The rebels have rained down the capital and other government- controlled areas across Syria with dozens of mortar shells recently, leaving tens of civilians dead and many others wounded. Syrian troops have recaptured several villages and towns in central Syria, cutting off main supply routes for terrorists from neighboring Lebanon. The army tightened the noose around armed groups in the countryside of Damascus and blocked several attempts to storm the capital. The army's move prompted the rebels to intensify their mortar attacks against safe areas presumably to shift the government's attention and alleviate pressure on tense areas. More than 150,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Syria since the conflict started in 2011. Source: XINHUA