Mourners gather at mosque

Hundreds of mourners gathered on Saturday despite rain and cold outside of a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, where a bombing the day before killed eight people and wounded 18.  The crowd gathered next to the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood, where the population is predominantly from the Alawite minority, before driving in convoys to bury the victims. Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque, but have not yet publicly identified a suspect.  A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack was intended to target members of the Alawite sect.