Dozens killed by bombs in Syria, clouding UN peace session

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the casualties were expected to rise from the suicide attacks in Sayeda Zeinaba, a district of southern Damascus where the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other Iraqi and Iranian militias have a strong presence.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack, Al Jazeera reported.

“Terrorists” detonated a auto bomb at a bus terminal, followed shortly by two suicide bombings that targeted onlookers and medics at the scene of the initial attack, an interior ministry official told the news agency.

Sayyida Zeinab is a heavily populated lower-income suburb of Damascus clustered around a Shia shrine of the same name.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, speaking to a news briefing in Geneva as Syria peace talks were being held said: “In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity that amnesties are not permissible”.

The Syrian envoy at the Geneva talks says that whoever thinks of autonomy in Syria needs to take Panadol pills. State TV footage showed several burning cars and a torched bus, as well as blown out windows and large holes in the facade of a nearby apartment tower.

The UN which is leading the talks under the auspices of special envoy Staffan de Mistura wants the rebel coalition group to attend the negotiations so that it can push forward its arguments.

The Geneva talks are aimed at ending a five-year conflict that has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions, leaving vast swaths of the country in ruins and fostering territorial gains of the radical Islamic State group – which is considered a terrorist group and was not invited.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is imploring Syria’s government and rebels to take advantage of U.N.-sponsored peace negotiations.

Backed by Iranian forces and Russian military power, Mr. Assad has conducted a blistering campaign of airstrikes against opposition areas in Syria since the end of September.

Al-Mislet added, “It’s enough killing our children, killing civilians”.

But he lashed out at the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which made a late showing in Geneva for scheduled UN-brokered peace talks but has said, for now, it will not negotiate.

The Turkmens are ethnic kin of the Turks and Turkey has been particularly angered by what it says is Russian targeting of them in Syria.

“Absolutely, this is part of the agenda that we agreed upon and that will be one of the very important topics we will discuss among ourselves as Syrian citizens”, Jaafari said.

“The conference did not start on time because the opposition delegation is late”.