Crossword Genius

A small damage to a capital city (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

asmara

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'capital city' is the definition.
'asmara' can be an answer for 'city' (I have seen 'African city' mean 'asmara' so perhaps 'city' could also mean 'asmara'). I am not sure about the 'capital' bit.

'a small damage to a' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'damage' becomes 'mar' (to mar is to spoil or damage).
'to' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'a'+'s'+'mar'+'a'='ASMARA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for asmara that I've seen before include "Capital of Eritrea" , "African city" , "African capital" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.
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