Dozens Killed in Suicide Attack in City Controlled by Bashar al-Assad Forces

A day after a deadly explosion near the city of al-Bab in Syria that left around 60 dead, several other suicide explosions occurred on Saturday, March 7, in the city of Homs in the west of the country. Including the explosions on Saturday in Homs, which is under the control of Bashar al-Assad's forces, the death toll over these two days exceeds 80. These deadly events come as, according to AFP, a new round of peace talks between the Assad government and the Syrian opposition, taking place under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, has yet to yield results. As reported by the agency, these new talks do not reflect a bright and hopeful outlook either. The target of the Saturday explosions was identified as two security force bases in Homs, with one of the victims being General Hassan Dabboul, the intelligence commander of the army in Homs and a close associate of Bashar al-Assad. The al-Nusra Front, which has renamed itself to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, claimed responsibility for these explosions. AFP, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in London, reported that the death toll from Saturday's events was 42. However, the governor of Homs reported the number of casualties as 30. This incident follows a bombing of two car bombs last Friday near a town in Syria that the Turkish army and the Syrian opposition recently liberated from ISIS, which left over 60 dead. The Associated Press reported on Friday, March 6, citing Turkish media, that during a suicide attack attributed to the group known as the 'Islamic State' or ISIS, a car bomb exploded next to a security center of the Syrian opposition forces in the village of Susiya, resulting in 60 casualties. Meanwhile, negotiators from the Syrian government and the opposition are set to meet in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday and Sunday to seek a resolution to the Syrian crisis under the arbitration of Staffan de Mistura, the UN representative. However, reports indicate that 'there is little hope for breakthroughs in these negotiations.'