ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Survivors on Saturday described scenes of fear and grief after an explosion on Friday struck a mosque in Syria’s Homs province, killing at least eight people and wounding around 20 others.
“The sound of the explosion was very loud. At first, we were shocked until I realized an explosion had occurred in the center of the mosque, and people fled out of fear,” Mihyaddin Saloum, the mosque’s preacher, told Rudaw.
The blast hit the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of southeastern Homs.
Saloum said the mosque serves worshippers from different sects. “The mosque is Alawite, but some of our Sunni brothers come [and pray] with us. This is very normal,” he said, adding, “This is not a new situation. I have been the preacher of this mosque since 2009, and my fellow sheikhs and I get along well.”
Among the injured was Ahmed Ibrahim, who was discharged from the hospital after sustaining head wounds. A regular attendee of Friday prayers at the mosque, Ibrahim recalled the moment of the blast. “I was hit on the head, and a shrapnel hit me. When the explosion happened, I threw myself to the side,” he said.
“I lowered myself, and I felt something hit my head, and I got up. I got outside close to the door, and people were getting out,” he added.
Five of the victims were buried at a cemetery in Homs, where families continued to mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, a radical Sunni Islamist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday, saying it was carried out “in cooperation with mujahideen [jihadists] from another group.”
The group said the explosion involved “a number of explosive devices” and claimed around 40 people were killed or injured. It added that “our attacks will continue to increase and will target infidels and apostates.”
The group had also claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing attack at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus’s Christian-majority Dweila neighborhood in June. The attack left at least 22 dead and 63 injured, according to state media.
Viviyan Fatah contributed to this report from Homs, Syria.
