By Nazih Siddiq
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - A bomb killed at least 18people, including nine soldiers, in the northern Lebanese cityof Tripoli on Wednesday, security sources said.
The bomb, which also wounded at least 45 people, was thedeadliest attack on the army since its battle with alQaeda-inspired Islamist militants in the north last year.
It had been placed in a bag at a bus stop where soldiersusually gather, the army said in a statement, describing theattack as a "terrorist bombing" -- a phrase used in the past bythe military when it suspects militant Islamist involvement.
The blast struck at 7.45 a.m. (5:45 a.m. British time) aspeople made their way to work. Red Cross workers ferriedcasualties to hospital. The ground was spattered with blood andcovered in shards of glass.
"It seems that the bomb was detonated wirelessly byremote," Lebanon's police chief Ashraf Reefi said.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for theattack in Lebanon's second largest city, which has been thescene of fighting between security forces and Islamistmilitants and sectarian violence linked to political tension inLebanon.
"The army and security forces will not yield to attempts toterrorise them with attacks and crimes," said President MichelSuleiman, who was army chief until elected president in May.
Suleiman led the army during 15 weeks of fighting last yearwith the al Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam group, which wasbased at a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The army lost170 soldiers while putting down the insurrection.
"It could be a signal from the same jihadi groups that theyare still around," said Paul Salem, head of the CarnegieEndowment's Middle East Centre in Beirut. "It's a pretty clearsignal to the army."
The Tripoli attack was the latest jolt to stability inLebanon, which has suffered a wave of bombings and politicalkillings since the 2005 assassination of former prime ministerRafik al-Hariri.
The list of assassinated figures includes Francois al-Hajj,a senior army officer blown up in December. The Tripoli attackwas the deadliest internal bombing since Hariri'sassassination.
VISIT TO SYRIA
"The investigation has begun and there are manyinterpretations, political interpretations" InformationMinister Tareq Mitri said, responding to media speculation thatthe attack was designed to undermine a visit to Syria bySuleiman.
He was due in Damascus on Wednesday for the first timesince his election as president. Suleiman was scheduled to meetSyrian President Bashar al-Assad in a visit seen a sign ofimproved ties between the two countries.
Syria strongly condemned Wednesday's attack, the Syrianstate news agency reported.
Damascus had seen the previous U.S.-backed Lebanese cabinetof Prime Minister Fouad Siniora as hostile and supported analliance of factions led by Hezbollah during 18 months ofpolitical conflict with the governing coalition.
The conflict was defused by a Qatari-mediated deal in May.Siniora, who is now prime minister of a new national unitygovernment, said the bombers wanted "the continuation oftension in Lebanon".
The Doha agreement led to the election of Suleiman and theformation of the new cabinet, which won a vote of confidence inparliament on Tuesday.
But the rival factions have yet to fully reconcile theirdifferences and at least 22 people have been killed in Tripoliin recent months in sectarian fighting.
(Additional reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam and YaraBayoumy in Beirut; editing by Jon Boyle)
