At least three policemen were killed and some others injured when a car bomb went off close to a police station in the eastern Syrian city of Al-Mayadeen on Sunday, state media and a monitoring group reported. The explosion hit a station near the city prison, the state-run Ikhbariya TV said, quoting security sources.
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the explosion came as security forces were carrying out a surprise crackdown on illegal arms in the region. Police and intelligence forces cordoned off the area after the attack, forcing civilians from reaching it.
The bombing occurred during a continuing campaign of security initiated by Syrian defense officials in Al-Mayadeen, a Deir al-Zour city famous for the recent surge in proliferation of arms among civilians and its past as an Iran-backed militia stronghold.
No group has officially claimed responsibility for the bombing.
