Damascus: Scores killed in suicide car bombing

A suicide bomber blew himself up in the Syrian capital on Sunday, killing several people while the other two car bombs were chased and destroyed by security forces on the road to Damascus airport southeast of the city.

The suicide bombers were driving cars as authorities chased them at Al-Tahrir square, but they escaped and detonated their explosives, killing a number of people and injuring others.

The security officials cited by state media did not provide a specific number of casualties.

Authorities were pursuing three cars, and intercepted two and destroyed them near the entrance of Damascus, CNN reported.

Damascus is rarely hit by attacks. Since the start of the Syrian conflict, government troops and allied militias have held a tight grip on the capital.

This is the biggest attack in the Syrian capital since March when rebel groups launched a surprise attack in northeastern Damascus, taking advantage of Syrian regime forces overstretched by fighting elsewhere in the country.