21 Killed in Car Bomb Explosions in Syria’s Capital
By BEN HUBBARDJULY 2, 2017
BEIRUT, Lebanon — A series of car bomb blasts shook the Syrian capital, Damascus, early Sunday, killing 21 people
and highlighting security gaps in parts of the country controlled by President Bashar al-Assad, according to an opposition monitoring group.
Syrian state television reported that eight people had died and 13 had been injured,
but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group based in Britain, reported that 21 were killed, including the three attackers.
Mr. Assad’s forces have struggled to maintain security in areas under their control while continuing to battle rebels seeking Mr. Assad’s ouster, as well as jihadist groups
that have exploited the war’s chaos to seize territory and set up operations.
A suicide bomber blew up the car he was driving near the heart of Damascus after being surrounded by security forces, while
two other car bombs were detonated after security forces tried to intercept the vehicles on the edge of the city.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks,
but the jihadists of the Islamic State and militants linked to Al Qaeda have claimed recent attacks in the city.
