Explosion at mosque in Syria’s Homs kills at least six: Report

According to Syrian state media reports, an explosion struck a mosque in Syria’s Homs, killing at least six people and injuring more than 20 others.

Shortly after Friday prayers, the attack took aim at the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs’ Wadi al-Dahab neighborhood, according to SANA.

State media reported that security forces were looking into the situation and had erected a cordon around the area.

Local authorities claimed that a suicide bomber or explosives placed there may have caused the incident.

Homs has a diverse population of Alawites, Christians, and Sunni Muslims, according to Ayman Oghanna, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Aleppo. He claimed the attack targeted an Alawite mosque, warning that sectarian strife could result from it.

He claimed no one had accepted responsibility for the attack, but that ISIL (ISIS) activity had recently increased in Syria. He added that three alleged ISIL members had been arrested during an operation near Aleppo by government forces.

In retaliation for the killings of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, the US bombed ISIL positions in Syria last week. In November, Damascus pledged to eliminate the group’s remaining members. He also signed up for a global anti-ISIL alliance.