At least eight people have been killed in a twin bomb attack on a suburb of Damascus, which is home to Syria’s holiest Shia shrine, state media say.
Some 13 other people were wounded in the blasts, which were caused by a suicide bomber and a car bomb.
The suburb of Sayyida Zeinab (PBUH), some 10 km south of central Damascus, has been a frequent target of attacks, BBC reported.
The first blast, by an attacker wearing an explosives belt, took place at the entrance of the suburb and the second car bomb attack detonated in Al-Teen street, not far from the shrine, Sana news agency said.
The golden-domed Sayyida Zeinab (PBUH) Shrine contains the grave of one of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) granddaughters, and continues to draw many Shia pilgrims despite the civil war.
Shia fighters from around the region have joined the conflict in Syria on the grounds that they wish to protect the shrine from the civil war, observers say.
