Twin Suicide Attacks in Damascus Target Courthouse, Restaurant
At least 74 people were killed in Damascus by two suicide attacks on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
The first bomb detonated at the main courthouse in Damascus, killing 39 including 28 civilians, among them nine lawyers. The second attacker targeted a restaurant in the al-Rabweh neighborhood and killed 28 civilians along with a total of seven police and regime forces. Some bodies remain unidentified.
A total of 102 people were injured in both attacks, according to state-run news agency SANA.
This is the second string of suicide attacks in the capital in the same week. Suicide bombings on Saturday were claimed by al-Qaida’s former affiliate in Syria, now known as Tahrir al-Sham.
Airstrikes Kill 25 People in Idlib
At least 25 people were killed in airstrikes on Idlib on Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The warplanes that targeted rebel-held Idlib city are believed to be Russian, according to SOHR. Internally displaced people (IDPs) were among those killed, as well as 14 children.
Located in northwestern Syria, Idlib province is run by an array of rebel groups including the powerful Tahrir al-Sham alliance, al-Qaida’s former affiliate in Syria. Thousands of residents in areas formerly held by rebels throughout Syria have been forcibly relocated to Idlib under rebel agreements with government forces.
Negotiation Talks Wrap Up Without Conversation
Peace talks in Astana ended on Wednesday without negotiations taking place, Reuters reported.
Rebels boycotted the two-day meeting brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, accusing Moscow of not upholding its own cease-fire, established in December. A rebel delegation was supposed to arrive on Wednesday according to a statement from the Kazakh foreign ministry, but rebels said their team in Astana was there only for “technical” purposes, not to negotiate.
Another round of talks in the Kazakh capital is scheduled for early May.
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