Hundreds of mourners in the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday attended the funeral of victims of a deadly mosque bombing, as calls for unity rang out.
Eight people were killed and 18 were injured in the explosion at the Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib Mosque in the mostly Alawite Wadi Al Zahab neighbourhood.
Authorities have not yet announced responsibility for the attack, as investigations continue. However, the attack was claimed by an Islamist militant group called Saraya Ansar Al Sunnah in a statement posted on Telegram. The group said its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” in the mosque, and that the attack was aimed at Alawites.
The group also claimed responsibility for a church bombing in Damascus in June that killed 25 people, though authorities blamed the extremist group ISIS.
Five of the victims were laid to rest at Al Firdous cemetery in Homs, while the bodies of the remaining victims were transferred to their hometowns in other parts of the country for burial, according to state media.
The funeral
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