At least 32 people have died in explosions in Homs city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports. The monitoring group says around 90 people
At least 32 people have died in explosions in Homs city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports.
The monitoring group says around 90 people were injured — some seriously — in two blasts targeting the al-Zahraa neighbourhood in the city centre.
According to the Observatory, the explosions were the result of a car bomb and a suicide attack. Syria’s state news agency SANA says both were caused by car bombs.
It is the second major attack in Homs since a ceasefire deal came into effect in early December, 2015. The accord was supposed to give the government a clear path to retake the last rebel-controlled area of the city.
At least 16 people were killed in twin blasts on December 12, for which ISIL admitted responsibility.
While no one has laid claim to Monday’s blasts (December 28), civilians are placing at least some of the blame on the shoulders of local government officials, the Observatory says. They are accused of focussing too closely on achieving a truce in Syria’s more than four-year-long civil war, at the expense of security issues.
In images
Homs, Syria. Not a happy holiday. pic.twitter.com/jodkTIiClc
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) December 27, 2015
En Syrie, Homs touchée par plusieurs attentats meurtriers https://t.co/4GkZOlMqkN pic.twitter.com/qxNQppQIEZ
— Le Monde (@lemondefr) December 28, 2015
Syrie: 32 morts dans un double attentat à Homs https://t.co/UnoyppyNRM pic.twitter.com/PsF3iOok45
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) December 28, 2015
Developing: Two major explosions rip through Syrian city of Homs, at least 32 dead. https://t.co/lpZ8oAuVNa pic.twitter.com/OyrOzD1Z2z
— AJE News (@AJENews) December 28, 2015