Syria conflict: At least 140 dead in Syrian capital Damascus and Homs

Syria February 22- The Islamic State group says it carried out bomb attacks in the Syrian capital Damascus and the city of Homs, which left at least 140 people dead.Four blasts in the southern Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab killed at least 83 people, state media say.

Earlier in Homs, 57 people, mainly civilians, were killed in a double car bombing, a monitoring group reports.Both of Sunday’s attacks targeted areas dominated by Islamic minorities reviled by the Sunni Muslim radicals of IS.

The blasts came as President Bashar al-Assad told reporters Syrian refugees should not be scared of returning home. Mr Assad, who has long been accused of persecuting his own people, said ordinary Syrians who had fled the conflict due to the “standard of living that has been deteriorating drastically” could go back without fear of action by the government.

More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict. Some 11 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad – including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe.