Syria: Bombing kills 20 in Idleb; government regains control of Homs

Event

A bomb attack at the headquarters of the Ahrah El-Sham Islamic rebel group near Saraqeb (Idleb province) was carried out on Sunday, May 21. A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside the building, killing at least 20 rebels and wounding dozens others. Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On a more general note, government forces regained control of the city of Homs after more than 3000 people (about 700 rebels and their families) were evacuated from the city, under an evacuation deal reached earlier in the year; rebels are granted safe passage to rebel-held areas in Syria, such as Idleb province.

Context

Syria is enmeshed in a complex civil war that started between the Assad government and opposition forces in March 2011. Today, the conflict in Syria involves many parties, including the Syrian government, the Jordanian government, the Iranian government, the Turkish government, the Russian government, a United States-led coalition, and numerous armed groups on the ground (including the Islamic State) with competing goals.

Multiple rounds of negotiations to establish a political solution to the Syrian civil war have taken place in Geneva, Switzerland. The recent Russian initiated rounds of peace talks in Astana do not include a US delegation as an active participant. The evacuation agreement was reached in March 2017 between Russia and rebel groups, allowing rebel fighters and their families to leave Homs. 

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise against all travel to Syria, with some countries banning all travel to the country. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to any travel to the country.