Deir al-zour: Several people were killed in an attack on a bus in eastern Syria, according to government sources and state media. Four security guards at an oil facility in the Deir al-Zour province lost their lives, the Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported, citing the Energy Ministry. The blast, which occurred on the road between Deir al-Zour and al-Mayadeen, also resulted in injuries to other employees and civilians.
According to Ghana News Agency, the ministry condemned the attack, emphasizing that it would not deter oil sector workers from fulfilling their 'national duty' to secure vital facilities. The ministry further stated that the purpose of such attacks is to hinder reconstruction efforts in the energy sector.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported that those killed were members of the Defence Ministry traveling in an army bus. Observers have attributed similar attacks to sleeper cells of the Islamic State militia, rival local groups, or other armed actors.
Deir al-Zour is strategically important as it lies on the Euphrates River and along crucial transport and supply routes between eastern and central Syria. It is also near the border with Iraq and contains most of the country's oil fields, as well as a US military base.
