Blast in northern Syria kills 8 militants, wounds others

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition activists say an explosion at the base of an al-Qaida-linked group in northern Syria has killed eight fighters and wounded others. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the blast Tuesday at the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham base in northwestern Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in the country. The explosion came as opposition fighters suffered a major setback in the southern province of Daraa, where a Russian-brokered deal led to the beginning of the evacuation of gunmen from the region. The evacuation was to pave the way for the deployment of government troops. .