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6 killed, 30 wounded in Lebanon explosion

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-29 16:09

BEIRUT -- A bomb targeted a Lebanese army bus Monday morning in the northern city of Tripoli, killing six soldiers and wounding 30 others, LBC TV reported.

Lebanese soldiers and policemen inspect a bus after an explosion on the main road in Tripoli in northern Lebanon September 29, 2008. [Agencies]

The bomb placed in a Renault car blew up when a bus carrying Lebanese army soldiers was passing by, the report said.

The bus, with up to 24 troops on board, was hurled away about a dozen meters, and the car which contained the explosives was completely burned, LBC TV said.

Related readings:  Lebanon bomb kills 9, including 7 soldiers  17 killed, 40 wounded in Lebanon explosion  Bomb kills senior Lebanon general  Lebanon bomb kills senior army officer, 4 others

Tripoli has been shaken by sectarian conflicts between pro- government Sunni fighters and opposition Alawite supporters, which caused dozens of casualties in the summer before a truce was reached.

In August, a roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying troops on a busy Tripoli street, killing over 15 Lebanese soldiers and civilians.

Last week, Sunni majority leader MP Saad Hariri made reconciliation efforts in the north, leading to a signed  reconciliation document between the two factions who fought sporadically in Tripoli districts.

However, former Prime Minister Najeb Mikati told LBC TV that he blamed for Monday's attack fundamentalist Islamic groups who were involved in last year's clashes with the Lebanese army in the Palestinian refugee camp of Naher al-Bared in north Lebanon.

Islamic group Fatah al-Islam fought fierce battles during May 2007 with the Lebanese army, and most of its militants were killed or arrested except for its leader Shaker al-Abssi who escaped.