A veteran Norwegian peacekeeper headed to Damascus on Saturday to take charge of a UN mission overseeing a troubled truce, a day after a deadly suicide bombing fuelled scepticism  over its prospects.

Major General Robert Mood was already en route for the Syrian capital when UN chief Ban Ki-moon publicly announced his appointment late on Friday, diplomats said.

He takes over a mission that faces major obstacles and doubts before the full 300-member force approved by the UN Security Council has even gathered.

Mood himself has highlighted the "abyss of suspicion" between President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition, in the face of an uprising that has killed more than 9,000 people since March last year, according to UN figures.

Ten civilians were among 14 people killed in renewed bloodshed on Friday, more than two weeks into a promised ceasefire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based watchdog said two civilians died in the Damascus suicide bombing.