A Syrian soldier drives a pickup-truck at a battlefield in the countryside of Homs province, central Syria, on March 19, 2016. (Source: Xinhua)
DAMASCUS, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Six suicide bombers detonated themselves in two security headquarters in Syria's central province of Homs on Saturday, killing at least 42 people, a monitor group and state TV reported.
Three of the suicide bombers went to the al-Ghouta area, and three others to the Mahata, to detonate themselves in the two security compounds, said the state-owned TV.
The TV added that the suicide attack was coupled with clashes in the targeted areas.
The governor of Homs, Talal Barazi, said most of the deaths were from the Syrian security personnel, adding that the head of the Military Intelligence Branch in Homs, Colonel Sharaf Hasan Daboul, was killed in the blast as well as the chief of the State Security branch of Homs, Colonel Darwish.
Barazi said the death toll is over 30 killed and 34 wounded, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said 42 people were killed in the deadly explosions.
It's the first deadly bombing in a while in Homs, as the Syrian army became in control of the city, with efforts ongoing to dislodge the rebels from the countryside of that key province.
The governor said the wounded are receiving treatment in Homs hospitals, adding that the bombings came as a retaliation to the victories of the Syrian army on ground, and the "political victories" the Syrian delegation to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva are making.
"Such escalations by the terrorists are not new to the Syrian people," he said.
Meanwhile, the state TV said that the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front claimed responsibility of the series of the deadly bombings that rocked Homs.
It's worth noting that the Nusra Front was excluded, along with the Islamic State (IS) group, from a recent nationwide cease-fire that went into force in Syria on Dec. 30, and the group was also separated from other rebel groups during the Syrian talks in Astana.
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Syrian army pushes near IS-held city of Palmyra
DAMASCUS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian forces have become 10 kilometers away from the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, as part of an operation to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group, a monitor group reported Friday.
Intense battles are raging between the Syrian army and IS militants in the western countryside of Palmyra in the eastern countryside of the central province of Homs, and the Syrian army and allied fighters are fighting to make more progress toward the city, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Full Story