Dozens killed by bombs in Syria, clouding UN peace session

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that monitors both sides of the conflict through a network of activists inside Syria, said at least 63 people were killed in the explosions, including 25 pro-government Shiite fighters.

An AFP photographer said the explosions damaged the facade of a nearby building, scorching all of its six storeys.

Sayyida, a granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is one of the most revered Shiite saints.

In the aftermath of Sunday morning’s attack, smoke rose from the twisted carcasses of more than a dozen cars and a bus, as ambulances ferried away the wounded and firefighters worked to put out blazes. ISIS-affiliated social media accounts circulated a statement from the group taking responsibility, the Guardian reports. “Two soldiers of the Caliphate led suicide operations in a den of unbelievers in the Sayeda Zeinab area”, said Sunni radical organization.

This mosque was earlier attacked in February 2015. It continues to attract on many Shia pilgrims, regardless of the civil war.

The IS militant group holds deep grudges against the Shiite people, which are considered in the IS methodology as “infidels”.

While virtually all parties agree that IS and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front should be excluded from the talks, the two sides are divided over Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Islam. The area around the shrine is heavily secured with regime checkpoints set up hundreds of metres away to prevent vehicles from getting close.

According to the New York Times, Hezbollah and other Shiite militias allied with the Syrian government control the area targeted by the bombing. Moscow, which began its airstrikes in Syria in September, is a major Assad ally, along with Iran.

The enmity toward the Shiite people also emanates from the group’s battles against Hezbollah and the Syrian army across Syria.

The talks got off to a rocky start Friday, with U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura meeting only with a Syrian government delegation.

But while the opposition agreed to travel to Geneva after days of delays, it has so far refused to engage in indirect talks with the government.

De Mistura is to meet each delegation separately on Monday for what the United Nations calls “proximity talks” and then shuttle between them, since there is not enough common ground between them to meet without immediate collapse.