Five Lebanese soldiers killed in car blast

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP) - Five Lebanese soldiers were killed on Monday in a car bomb blast targeting an army bus on the outskirts of the restive northern city of Tripoli, security and military officials said.

A security official told AFP that another 24 people, 18 of them soldiers, were wounded in the explosion, the second deadly bombing targeting the Lebanese army in two months.

"Once again a treacherous hand has reached out to strike at the military establishment in a terrorist attack clearly aimed at undermining efforts at peace and stability," a statement by the army command said.

The bomb, placed under a parked car at the southern entrance to the city, was packed with nuts and bolts and police suspect the device was detonated by remote control.

It blew up as the bus headed towards the capital Beirut during morning rush-hour. There were about 24 soldiers on board, most of them from the village of Akroum, located about 50 kilometres north of Tripoli near the Syrian border.

The owner of the booby-trapped vehicle was detained for questioning, a security official said. Police and the army cordoned off the area as forensic experts began gathering evidence while residents rushed to the scene or to nearby hospitals to look for their loved ones. One man in his 50s wept and appealed for news about his son who he said was on board the bus.

Ali Al-Khatib said his 37-year-old cousin Anwar Jasim Al-Khatib, a father of two, was among the soldiers killed.

"He spent the weekend with his wife and children buying clothes for the Muslim Eid and was supposed to come back for the holiday tonight," Al-Khatib said, as he stood outside Tripoli's Nini hospital.

The force of the blast shattered windows and damaged cars nearby. The Renault vehicle under which the bomb was placed was left a burned-out pile of twisted metal.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A similar explosion in August left 14 people dead, nine of them soldiers, in the deadliest attack in Lebanon in three years.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri said Monday's blast was aimed at scuttling measures toward reconciliation by the country's rival pro- and anti-Syrian factions. He also denounced the fact that the blast took place as Muslims prepared to celebrate this week the end of the holy month of Ramazan.