IS bombings rock Syria

Bombings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs killed nearly 130 people on Sunday, highlighting the threat posed by the extremists as the country’s warring factions fight for the northern city of Aleppo and world powers chase an elusive ceasefire.

The blasts came as Secretary of State John Kerry said that a “provisional agreement” has been reached on a cessation of hostilities that could begin in the next few days. But he acknowledged that it’s not finalised and all parties might not automatically comply.

A series of blasts ripped through the Sayyida Zeinab suburb of Damascus, killing at least 83 people and wounding more than 170, the official SANA news agency said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on local Syrian activists, said the blasts killed 62 people. SANA said the bombs went off near schools during the afternoon rush hour.

The bombings in the central city of Homs killed at least 46 people and wounded dozens, according to Syria’s Foreign Ministry. The Observatory said 57 people, including 11 women, were killed by two car bombs set off in a mostly Alawite neighbourhood.

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Death toll up to 70 from Damascus attack: monitor

The death toll from a suicide attack in Damascus on Sunday that was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group has risen to more than 70, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A car bomb and two suicide bombers attacked the Sayeda Zeinab district, home to Syria’s holiest Shiite shrine, as representatives of Syria’s government and its divided opposition began converging in Geneva in an attempt to start the first peace talks in two years.

The Syrian state news agency SANA has put the death toll from the attack at more than 50.

42 were from the forces

The British-based Observatory, which monitors the war using contacts on the ground, said the attack had targeted a military bus carrying Shiite militiamen who were changing guard, and that 42 of the dead were fighters allied to the government.

Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah and other Iraqi and Iranian militias have a strong presence in Sayeda Zeinab, which is a site of pilgrimage for Shiites from Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world.

While much of the Syrian leadership is drawn from an offshoot of Shiite Islam, the IS espouses a radical version of Sunni Islam and considers other sects to be heretical.

Witness to heavy clashes

The area witnessed heavy clashes in the first few years of the war, prompting the army and allied Shiite militias to tighten security, notably with roadblocks.

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