ISIS Claims Responsibility for Car Bomb Near Gas Plant

ISIS claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion near a gas plant in Syria’s Homs province Monday, AFP reports. The attack killed nine people including four soldiers.

“Five employees and four regime troops guarding the Firqlos gas plant were killed in a car bomb blast near the facility in the east of Homs province,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian State News Agency SANA claims it captured the two bombers “who detonated the pick-up truck at the entrance to the plant while they were trying to flee.”

According to SANA the bombers were Moroccan and both were killed in the blast.

This is not the first time the group has targeted oil and gas facilities in Syria. In November, regime troops recaptured the Shaer gas field in central Homs province after ISIS assaulted parts of the complex. Some 350 soldiers were killed in the attempt to take back the gas field.

Mass Grave Discovered in Deir Ezzor

A mass grave believed to contain the bodies of Sheitat tribe members who fought against ISIS this summer was discovered Monday in eastern Syria, the Daily Star reports.

Hundreds of Sheitat tribe members rebelled against ISIS in August, after the group took a large swatch of territory in the province.

Earlier in December, a similar mass grave of Sheitat tribe members was found in the same province.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the corpses of 230 tribesmen were discovered by members of the tribe after they were given permission to return to the village of Kashkashiyeh. Investigators claim the killings were perpetrated by ISIS in a struggle for control of oil resources,BBC News reports.

If confirmed, their deaths would bring the number of tribe members killed during the summer to more than 900.

Turkey Grants Syrian Refugees Secure Legal Status

Turkey has instated new regulations that grant Syrian refugees secure legal status in the country for the first time, according to the New York Times.

More than a million people have spent almost four years under temporary protection. Thanks to a measure passed by the Council of Ministers in October, the refugees will now receive new identification cards giving them access to healthcare and education services.

“The regulation stops short of granting Syrians official refugee status, which would entitle them to a broader array of benefits like housing, public relief and various social services,” the Times reports.

Turkey is home to 1.6 million displaced Syrians, over 85 percent of whom live in urban areas and are actively seeking employment and permanent housing. It is currently operating 22 refugee camps at full capacity.

Syria’s neighboring countries have played host to 3.2 million people registered as refugees, and hundreds of thousands more who have gone undocumented. Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are struggling to deal with the additional strain on their hospitals, schools, infrastructure and jobs.

Recommended Reading

Associated Press: Syria to Reopen its Embassy in Kuwait Project Syndicate:No More Aleppos The Daily Star: Syria Parliament Approves Jobs for Martyrs’ Relatives The New York Times: Turkey Strengthens Rights of Syrian Refugees Reuters: Lebanese Army Disperses Youths Protesting Near Border Town

Photo Courtesy of AP Images