Maj. Gen. Khaled Hilal tells Syria TV that the vehicle targeted Wednesday was mainly carrying university students, and that four other passengers were wounded.
Hilal says initial reports indicate a man got on the van to plant the device and stepped off before it exploded. Footage aired on al-Ikhbariya state TV shows the skeleton of the taxi van after the explosion.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-run monitoring group, says at least two people were killed.