A booby-trapped car went off in the suburb of Damascus on Saturday evening, pro-government radio and activists reported.

The blast was reported by both parties, but great disparity clouded the details with the absence of official comments.

The pro-government Sham FM radio said the car was meant to go off at a military checkpoint in Zamalka, adding that a number of armed men preparing the explosion were killed.

While the oppositional network, Local Coordination Committees ( LCC), said more than 20 people were killed by the car blast, which ripped through a funeral procession of a man killed recently.

The activists report couldn't be verified, because customarily, no funeral processions would be held after sunset in Muslim countries in general.

The LCC said that 85 people were killed Saturday nationwide, assigning blame on government troops. Yet their account was impossible of being independently checked.

Syria's mainstream media, meanwhile, says the competent authorities are undertaking operations to flush out armed insurgency, particularly in suburbs of Damascus.