Car Bomb Rips through Damascus Suburb

A car bomb on Monday ripped through Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that there were unconfirmed reports of several wounded.

This is not the first time the southeastern suburb has been hit by a car bomb. On August 28, at least 27 people attending a funeral for two supporters of the Damascus regime were killed in a similar attack, according to the Britain-based watchdog.

"There is an increase of the use of car bombs in Syria," Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Observatory, told Agence France Presse.

"At the same time, men in Jaramana -- most of whose residents are pro-regime -- have taken up arms to defend their district. This means that the regime has really lost control and the capacity to defend even its supporters."