Bombings kill 20 in Syria as peace talks invitations go out
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GENEVA - Multiple bombings struck a government-run checkpoint in the central Syrian city of Homs on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding over a hundred amid intense political jockeying ahead of UN-backed peace talks scheduled to begin in Geneva on Friday.
The office of the UN envoy for Syria said it sent out invitations for the talks, but with just three days to go, the opposition is still undecided about whether it will attend, throwing diplomatic efforts into question.
The attack in Homs, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, came as government forces retook a strategic town from opposition fighters and other militants in the south of the country.
Homs Governor Talal Barazi told the SANA news agency that the checkpoint was hit "first by a car bomb, which was then followed by a suicide bombing."
