Car bomb near Syria gas plant kills 8: monitor

A car bomb exploded near a gas plant in Syria's Homs province today killing eight people, including four soldiers, and wounding 15, a monitoring group said.
State news agency SANA confirmed the attack but gave no precise toll.
"Eight people were killed in a car bomb attack on a checkpoint guarding the Firqlos gas plant in Homs province, and 15 others were wounded. Four of the dead were regime troops," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based group, which relies on a broad network of sources for its reports, said it was not clear if suicide bombers had carried out the attack.

SANA said troops guarding the plant captured two suspects as they tried to flee after the bombing.
The agency, quoting a military source, said "guards captured the two terrorists who detonated the pick-up truck at the entrance to the plant, while they were trying to flee."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The jihadist Islamic State (IS) group has targeted oil and gas facilities in Iraq and Syria as it seeks funds for its fight to seize territory for a self-proclaimed Islamic "caliphate
In November, Syrian troops backed by pro-regime militiamen recaptured the Shaer gas field in central Homs province, a week after it IS fighters had overran parts of the installation.

IS jihadists killed some 350 regime troops and loyalist militiamen, as well as gas plant workers, during its bid to take over Shaer.