Syria blast kills dozens

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A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with 1.5 tonnes of explosives killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens in Syria's central city of Hama on Sunday (October 20), state media reported.

The man blew himself up inside the vehicle on a busy road on the outskirts of the city, the SANA agency said.

It blamed the attack on "terrorists", the term it uses to describe rebel forces trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack targeted an army checkpoint.

Syria's 2-1/2-year old conflict began as peaceful protests but has degenerated into civil war.

Rebels have been joined by hardline Islamists, some of them linked to al Qaeda, and several groups have used suicide bombs to attack military and political targets.