"An armed terrorist group used an explosive device to target a bus transporting officers and non-commissioned officers to their unit in Aleppo. It killed a lieutenant colonel and wounded 24 other people" at 8:00 am (0500 GMT), the official SANA news agency reported.

State television said the armed groups were "intensifying criminal operations in an attempt to destablise Syria and torpedo the plan" of international peace envoy Kofi Annan, which went into effect at 6:00 am (0300 GMT).