Damascus: A powerful bomb blast occurred in a mosque in the city of Homs, Syria, during Friday prayers. Currently, 8 people are reported dead and at least 18 injured. The blast reportedly took place in a mosque located primarily in an Alawite area, a mosque belonging to a minority community. The state news agency SANA reported that the explosion occurred "inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab area" of Homs. The agency quoted an official from the country's health ministry as saying that at least 18 people were injured in the attack.
According to AFP news agency, the Syrian Interior Ministry described the incident as a "terrorist bombing," saying the mosque was targeted during Friday prayers. According to Al Jazeera, the mosque is associated with the Alawite sect of Islam, which is a significant minority population within Syria's predominantly Muslim population. The attack comes a year after Syrian rebel forces led by current President Ahmed al-Shara seized Damascus. Shara ousted Bashar al-Assad, who belonged to the Alawite sect and fled to Russia after his government fell last year.
Syria Mosque Bombing
Deadly Bomb Blast in Syrian Mosque
Syrian Government Calls it a Terrorist Attack
In the past year, Syrian security forces have fought Alawite militias loyal to the former government, but the larger community and other minorities in Syria have also been victims of attacks by the Islamic State group (IS). This group was largely defeated in 2017 after attempting to establish a "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq in 2014, but its smaller remnants have regrouped and are operating in the country.
Since the fall of Assad's government, ISIS has been doing everything it can to destabilize the government led by Shara. It is continuously attacking minorities. The Syrian civil war began in 2011 when government forces loyal to Assad brutally suppressed protests against his rule. In more than 13 years of conflict, half of the country's population has been displaced, with millions of Syrians fleeing to Turkey, Europe, and neighboring Arab countries. The death toll, although unconfirmed, is believed to be more than half a million Syrians.
