6 killed in Damascus suburb bombing near Shiite Muslim shrine ahead of the holy day of Ashoura

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian state media, citing the interior ministry, say six people have been killed and dozens wounded when a motorcycle planted with explosives detonated in a Damascus suburb near a Shiite Muslim shrine one day before the solemn holy day of Ashoura. The reports say Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabash reported that 26 people wounded in Thursday’s blast are receiving treatment in several hospitals, while 20 others have been treated on site or discharged. The Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says a woman was among those killed, while three of her children were wounded. The neighborhood is named after the shrine of Sayida Zeinab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.