syria explosion
Syrian military and ambulance personnel clear the victims of an explosion in the neighborhood of Douma in Damascus, Syria, September 30, 2011
An explosive device in the neighborhood of Douma in Damascus has taken the life of three Syrian military explosive technicians and injured another two.

Local police sources said the device had been planted in an area, expected to be the scene of a large protest following Friday prayers, Syria's state Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

After detecting the explosive, authorities immediately summoned military technicians to dismantle the device before the end of the prayers.

The device, however, went off while the technicians were operating on.

Moreover, Syria has been the scene of deadly violence since mid-March with armed gangs organizing numerous attacks against police, army forces and border guards across the country.

Hundreds of people, including the members of security forces, have been killed in the tension.

Damascus says the unrest is being orchestrated from outside and that the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm the civilians.

Syria's state TV has frequently broadcast reports of seized arms caches and confessions by terrorist elements, pointing to how they had obtained weaponry from foreign sources.