Car bomb kills 5 al-Qaida members in Syria's Idlib

At least five al-Qaida fighters were killed and 10 others wounded on Saturday when a booby-trapped car went off in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the pro-government Sham FM radio reported.

The blast struck the municipal building of the town of Kafr Uwaid in the Jabal al-Zawyieh mountainous region in the countryside of Idlib, the report said. Initial information indicated that at least five fighters of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front were killed.

The report stopped short of details on the party responsible for the attack, but said the targeted area is under the Nusra control.

The Nusra fighters have been engaged in battles against rival rebel groups, mainly the Islamic State group, in parts of the conflict-torn country.

The al-Qaida-affiliate group has recently intensified its attacks against the government troops' positions in Idlib and its countryside to solidify its positions there and cover for its losses in other parts of the country.