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Twin bombings kill 50, injure tens in western Syria

Sunday, 21 February 2016 7:52 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 21 February 2016 2:48 PM ]

Syrians gather at the site of a double car bomb attack in the al-Zahraa neighborhood of Homs on February 21, 2016. ©AFP

At least 50 people have lost their lives and 100 others sustained injuries in twin bomb attacks targeting a residential neighborhood in Syria’s western city of Homs.

Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two vehicles laden with explosives went off within less than a minute of each other at a traffic light at al-Siteen Street in al-Zahraa district of the city, located 162 kilometers (101 miles) north of the capital, Damascus, on Sunday morning.

A report by the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the toll could rise further because of the high number of people seriously wounded in the attacks.

No group has claimed responsibility for the act of violence so far, but such terrorist attacks are usually carried out by the Takfiri militant groups active in the area.

‘Syrians strong in face of terror’

Meanwhile, Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi strongly condemned the terror attacks that targeted civilians in Homs and said such brutal crimes cannot undermine the Syrian nation’s strong determination in the fight against terrorism.

Halqi further said the countries that back Takfiri terrorists are to blame for the fatal assault, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibility and help put an end to foreign aid to militants.

Syrian firefighters spray water on burning car at the site of a double car bomb attack in the al-Zahraa neighborhood of the Syrian city of Homs on February 21, 2016. ©AFP

On January 19, two terrorist attacks claimed nearly 20 lives in the al-Zahraa neighborhood of Homs city.

In a similar incident last December, more than 30 people were killed and 90 others wounded in two bomb explosions that hit the same Homs neighborhood.

The December attack came after foreign-backed militants began evacuating the last district they were controlling in the city under a deal with Damascus.

The new fatal bombings come in the wake of significant army gains against Takfiri terror groups on several fronts, particularly the northwestern province of Aleppo near the Turkish border.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of some 470,000 people and left 1.9 million injured, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research.

Moreover, 6.36 million people have been displaced internally and more than four million others have fled the country since the beginning of the conflict. That accounts for 45 percent of the country’s population, which has shrunk by 21 percent.

Syria accuses Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar of funding and arming terrorist groups operating inside the country, including Daesh.

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