Syrian defense minister killed in bombing

Syrian state television said the country's defense minister, General Daoud Rajha, was killed in a suicide bombing on July 18 at the headquarters of the National Security agency in Damascus.

Security officials told AFP news agency that others attending a high-level meeting were injured in the blast and were taken to Al-Shami hospital in the capital for treatment.

Among the injured was Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar, the officials said.

Syrian Defense Minister Daoud Rajha. (Source: Internet)

State television highlighted the morning attack as targeting the government's top security officials, adding that some participants in the meeting were "seriously injured."

The bombing occurred in the Rawda district in the center of the capital, where security is extremely tight, in the context of extremely fierce clashes between government forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Damascus and has lasted into the fourth day.

Rajha, a Christian, is defense minister, deputy army commander, and vice chairman of the Council of Ministers. President Bashar al-Assad is commander-in-chief of the army.

The head of the national security department is General Hisham Ikhtiyar. There is currently no news about Mr. Ikhtiyar's fate after the bombing./.

According to (Vietnam+) - DT