Suicide bomber blows himself up during Damascus attack

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian soldiers battled a small group of insurgents, including a suicide bomber, who attacked a Syrian military logistics facility in the capital Monday, militants and activists said.

The relatively rare Damascus attack took place in the Rukneddine neighbourhood and was claimed by the Al Qaeda branch in Syria. Syrian state media said all the militants were killed, but provided no further details.

The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdurrahman, said the bombing appeared to target a general who is responsible for army logistics and supplies. He said the general was wounded in the blast, while three of his guards were killed in the ensuing clashes with the militant attackers.

The Observatory relies on a network of activists inside Syria for its information.

The Al Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front posted a claim of responsibility on a Twitter account associated with the group, saying three of the group's fighters were involved.

Syrian state television later broadcast video of what it said was the scene of the attack, showing the bodies of two men dressed in camouflage sprawled in the street. The legs of the suicide bomber were visible on the pavement nearby.

Attacks such as Monday's have been rare in the capital, which remains under the firm grip of President Bashar Assad.