Lebanon bus blast kills 18

An explosion on a bus has killed at least 18 people, including nine soldiers, in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. The blast, which also wounded at least 45 people, was the deadliest attack on the army since its battle with al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic militants in the north last year. The bomb had been placed in a bag at a bus stop where soldiers usually gather, the army said in a statement. Red Cross workers ferried casualties from the site of the blast. The ground was spattered with blood and covered in shards of glass, television pictures showed. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Lebanon's second largest city so far. The city has been the scene of fighting between security forces and Islamic militants and sectarian violence linked to the country's political troubles. President Michel Suleiman, who had been army chief until his election in May, described the bombing as a terrorist attack. "The army and security forces will not yield to attempts to terrorise them with attacks and crimes," Mr Suleiman said in a statement. Mr Suleiman led the army during 15 weeks of fighting last year with the al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam group, which was based at a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The army lost 170 soldiers while putting down the insurrection at the Nahr al-Bared camp. Fatah al-Islam, a group which drew fighters from across the Arab world, claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that killed a soldier in north Lebanon in late May. The Tripoli attack is the latest blow to stability in Lebanon, which has suffered a wave of bombings and political killings since the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

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ITN | August 13, 2008

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