Islamic State has claimed responsibility for five co-ordinated suicide bombings and other attacks that have killed at least 48 people in Syria.

The wave of attacks came as Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin held discussions about the Syrian conflict on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, but failed to finalise a deal on stemming the bloodshed.

IS-run Aamaq news agency said the militant group was behind the "simultaneous" blasts that were timed to coincide with Monday's morning rush hour.

Syrian state TV said 48 people were killed, but British-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at 53 people.

The blasts targeted government-controlled areas and Kurdish forces. The cities hit were:


:: Tartus

At least 35 people died in a double bombing on a bridge leading to this coastal city, a stronghold of President Bashar al Assad and home to a Russian naval base. Another 43 people were injured.

The city had been largely spared the worst violence of Syria's conflict and had become a refuge for Syrians fleeing the fighting.

:: Hasakeh

In this northeastern city 80km (49 miles) from the Turkish border and controlled mainly by Kurdish forces, six members of the Kurds' Asayesh security forces and two civilians were killed by a bomber on a motorcycle who blew up an Kurdish checkpoint.

The attack follows advances by Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels at the weekend that repelled IS militants from the last stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border the group controlled.

Turkey began an operation inside Syria on 24 August targetting not only IS but also Syrian Kurdish forces that have been a key US partner in the fight against the jihadist group in Syria.

IS also said it detonated an explosive device in Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, targetting a group of Kurdish fighters. No casualty figures were available.

:: Homs

Three soldiers and a civilian were killed by a car bomb in Homs' Al Zahraa neighbourhood, whose residents mostly belong to the same Alawite sect as Assad.

Another 10 people were wounded in the blast, state-run media reported.

:: Damascus

A bombing was reported in the heavily guarded Damascus suburb of Sabbourah. State media said one person had been killed and another three wounded.

IS described it as suicide car bomb that targeted a military checkpoint in the area west of the capital.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead in both the Homs and Damascus road attacks were government security forces manning checkpoints.

29 Aug: Turkey And US Clash Over Action In Syria

Meanwhile, the US President described his talks with Mr Putin in China as "productive", but said the rival powers were challenged by "gaps of trust".

The world leaders had a longer-than-expected 90-minute discussion about whether, and how, they could agree on a ceasefire deal in the war-torn country.

"Given the gaps of trust that exist, that's a tough negotiation," Mr Obama said after the meeting.

"We haven't yet closed the gaps."

3 Sept: More Turkish Tanks Enter Syria In Fight Against IS

Mr Putin insisted a Syrian deal with Washington could be firmed up in the "coming days" but refused to give specific details.

"I believe that we are on the right track and could, at least for some period of time, agree to carry out mutual energetic attempts to make the situation in Syria more healthy," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov have been trying to reach a deal for weeks that would curb the violence between the Russian-backed Assad's government forces and moderate rebels backed by the US.

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Talks are expected to resume later this week.

More than 290,000 people have been killed in Syria since its conflict erupted in March 2011 and millions more have been displaced by the fighting.