Car bomb explodes at Syria-Turkey crossing: activists

AMMAN (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded on the Syrian side of the main Bab al-Hawa crossing with Turkey on Tuesday and at least a dozen people were taken to nearby hospitals, Syrian opposition activists on the border said. The explosion occurred at a roadblock manned by Islamist brigades at the entrance of the rebel-held crossing, several hundred meters from the Turkish side, they added. Pictures taken by activists on the scene showed several burnt and mangled cars and an engine block that apparently flew to the side of the road from the vehicle. "The objective is to destabilize security at the crossing. The casualties are all civilians, from the people queuing to cross," said Omar Aref, one of the activists. The explosion came a day after Turkey shot down a Syrian helicopter that had entered Turkish airspace. The Syrian army said the shooting was "hasty" and accused the Turkish government, which backs the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, of trying to escalate tensions along the border. (Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Amman newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens)