Deadly car bombings 'to deter chemical weapons investigations' hit Douma

"Two cars exploded in Douma, which have killed three civilians and injured a number of others," local sources told al-Araby al-Jadeed, The New Arab's sister publication.

The sources accused Syrian regime forces, who have now taken full control of the town, of carrying out the attack in order to delay the international investigation into the suspected use of chemical weapons by the Russian-backed Syrian regime which killed at least 49 civilians last week.

Western sources have reported that Syrian regime and Russian authorities have not yet allowed investigators from the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) watchdog to access the site of the alleged attack, despite the delegation arriving in Syria on Saturday.

Syrian and Russian security officials have attributed the delay to "security issues" and insisted that roads still had to be de-mined and cleared before the investigators could access Douma.

For many observers however, the delay along with Monday's incident confirms suspicions the Assad regime and Russia were behind the atrocious attack, suspected to have used chlorine and sarin gas, and have now tampered with the evidence.

The sources said the UN-affiliated investigators were in the area but had not yet been able to access the sites they intended to inspect.

Russia have said they will be able to do so on Wednesday.