Eleven soldiers were killed and nine others wounded in an explosion at a Syrian Arab Army position in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor, according to the Ministry of Defence and provincial government. The blast struck a weapons cache in the town of Ayyash, west of Deir Az Zor city, on Friday. The cause of the explosion has not been determined, and an investigation is under way, the provincial government said in a statement.
A funeral procession was held on Saturday for the fallen soldiers, the official SANA news agency reported. State broadcaster Al Ikhbiriya showed mourners gathered outside the National Hospital in Deir Az Zor city, where the bodies, wrapped in Syrian flags, were carried through the streets. The broadcaster said the soldiers were killed while transporting heavy ammunition at the site.
The incident marks the second deadly explosion at a Syrian military site in less than two weeks. On September 9, an explosion at a temporary weapons and war-remnants depot in Sarmada, in the northwestern province of Idlib, killed 14 soldiers and wounded more than 10 people, including civilians, according to the Syrian Defence Ministry. The ministry claimed responsibility for that incident, stating the depot had been used to collect weapons and munitions left over from Syria’s civil war before their transfer under standard procedures.
Syria’s emergency management minister, Raed al-Saleh, told local outlet Enab Baladi that his ministry is working with other government bodies to keep such sites clear of civilians. However, he acknowledged that some locations are difficult to fully secure because civilians are involved in collecting abandoned munitions. Earlier, on September 1, a vehicle carrying ammunition exploded in Binnish, also in Idlib province, killing five people and wounding others, according to Syrian state media.
Such explosions have become frequent in Syria as the country works to clear the vast stockpiles of weapons and munitions left behind after more than a decade of civil war. The persistent danger from these remnants poses a significant threat to both military personnel and civilians, highlighting the challenges of post-conflict stabilization.
Source: www.aljazeera.com