A roadside bombing on Thursday killed a senior Syrian cleric who played a key role in government deals with rebel fighters, according to Syrian state media and a government website.
The explosion that killed Damascus Mufti Adnan Afiouni took place in the town of Qudsaya, west of the capital of Damascus. It was not known who planted the roadside bomb and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The cleric was first reported wounded and then declared dead soon after.