Car bombing kills 19 in Syrian capital

By Khaled Suleiman

DAMASCUS

At least 19 people were killed in a car bombing in Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, according to local medical sources.

The fatalities occurred when a bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle in Tahrir square in central Damascus, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Fifteen people were also injured in the bombing, the sources said.

The bombing struck as security forces were chasing three suspected car bombers trying to enter the capital, according to the official SANA news agency.

The agency said the two other car-bombs had been destroyed.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Syria has been locked in civil war since March 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, around 400,000 people have died in the conflict while half the population has been driven from their homes.