This photo, released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows people gathering at the scene of an explosion along the road to the airport in southeast Damascus, Syria, Sunday, July 2, 2017. Syrian state TV said Sunday that a series of car bomb explosions have rocked the capital, resulting in multiple casualties. (Photo from SANA via AP)
DAMASCUS, Syria — A series of car bomb explosions rocked the Syrian capital on Sunday, killing at least eight people and wounding a dozen more, state TV reported. Among those killed was the suicide bomber who blew himself up after being surrounded by security forces.
State media said security forces intercepted the two other car bombs, suggesting they were controlled explosions.
Footage on state TV from the scene of one explosion, along the road to the airport, showed at least two scorched vehicles. The closed-off street was littered with debris, while security men roamed the area. Footage from Tahreer Square in central Damascus showed the facade of one building badly damaged and mangled vehicles parked in the small roundabout.
State TV said security forces detected two car bombs at an entrance to the city and foiled a plot to target crowded areas on first day of work after the long Muslim holiday that follows Ramadan. The state news agency SANA said the security forces detonated two car bombs at the airport road intersection.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-run monitoring group, also reported the three explosions. It put the death toll at 12, including the suicide bomber.
Such attacks have been relatively rare in Damascus, the seat of power for President Bashar Assad. Pro-government forces have been fighting to drive rebels from Ain Terma, one of their last strongholds on the eastern outskirts of Damascus.