A bomb has exploded outside a Damascus mosque, killing at least five people and wounding several others, state media and anti-government rights groups report.

The bombing occured after Friday prayers in northern Damascus, wounding several people, state television said.

“A terrorist attack carried out with a motorcycle loaded with explosives struck the exit of Rukniyeh mosque [in Rukneddin district] as worshippers were making their way out,” it said, adding that several civilians were wounded.

The five people killed were members of the Syrian security forces, state television reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-government rights group, confirmed the death toll. It said that six security forces personnel were also badly wounded in the explosion.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the bomb went off across the street from the mosque and damaged a clinic as well as six cars. The brick wall over the entrance of the clinic collapsed, and blood could be seen on the wall and in the street.

Damascus has seen frequent violence in recent weeks, as the 18-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government has become increasingly bloody.

Armed rebel brigades have in the past taken responsibility for explosions targeting government and military officials.

Anti-government activists say that more than 23,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

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Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201297111324657856.html