Fuel truck explodes in front of courthouse in Azaz, and news agency says car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A fuel truck has exploded in the centre of a rebel-held town near Syria’s border with Turkey, killing dozens of people.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 48 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern town of Azaz. Around 14 of the dead were rebel fighters or courthouse guards, it said. Dozens more were injured.

Turkey’s privately owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.

Osama al-Merhi, a lawyer at the scene of the blast, also pointed the finger at IS.

“These kinds of crimes are only committed by the terrorist group Daesh,” he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS. “They are the ones who target civilians and the cadres who are building this country.”

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying that at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded. An Azaz resident who went to the local hospital told Reuters he had counted around 30 bodies laid out.

The attack appeared to be the deadliest yet in the town in northern Aleppo province, which has been regularly hit by bombings targeting rebels and civilians. In November rebels said 25 people – civilians and opposition fighters – were killed in a car bombing of a rebel headquarters. The rebels accused the Islamic State group of being behind that attack.

Syria’s nearly six-year war has create a patchwork of areas of control across the country.Azaz is a stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), an alliance of moderate rebel groups whose fighters have, with Turkish military support, pushed Islamic State militants out of the border area.

In a roundup of its military operations over the last 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish military said on Saturday that 21 Islamic State militants had been killed in clashes.

It said its warplanes had destroyed buildings and vehicles in airstrikes on 12 Islamic State targets.

The blast comes during a fragile nationwide ceasefire brokered by Syrian government ally Russia and Turkey. The truce came into effect on December 30 and is intended to pave the way for new peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana, which regime ally Iran is also helping organise.

But the ceasefire and the planned talks have been threatened by ongoing violence in the rebel-held Wadi Barada region outside Damascus, which is the main water source for the capital.</s>A fuel truck exploded in the busy centre of a rebel-held town near Syria's border with Turkey on Saturday, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens more, several sources said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern Syrian town of Azaz.

Dozens more had severe injuries, said the Observatory, which monitors the violence in the country.

In unsourced comments, Turkey's privately owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded.</s>A blast has torn through the Syrian town of Azaz, killing at least 43 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The U.K.-based activist group says the explosion was caused by a fuel tanker rigged with a bomb, which went off outside a courthouse in the rebel-held town on Syria's border with Turkey.

Reuters reports that Turkey's state-run Andalou news service puts the death toll even higher, quoting a doctor who says at least 60 people have been killed and more than 50 have been wounded. Most of the victims of the car bomb were civilians, the Observatory says.

The Associated Press describes the scene of the explosion:

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, though the BBC reports that the Islamic State has been blamed.

The violence comes just over a week after Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire in the civil war-ravaged country. Since then, violence has ebbed, but rebel factions have protested what they call breaches of the agreement by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. They have suspended their preparations for the peace talks planned for later this month, throwing those negotiations into doubt.

The Free Syrian Army, a rebel group backed by the Turkish government, controls Azaz, which lies less than five miles from the border. According to Al-Jazeera, the town has been racked by violence in recent months — including a November attack on rebel headquarters that killed 25 people, and another attack in October that killed at least 20 people.

Just across the border, Turkey has seen its own share of the region's violence recently. Last year, a suicide bombing in the nearby Turkish city of Gaziantep claimed the lives of at least 66 people outside a wedding. Turkish officials said that ISIS was responsible for that attack.</s>A fuel truck exploded in the busy centre of a rebel-held town near Syria's border with Turkey on Saturday, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens more, several sources said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern Syrian town of Azaz. Dozens more had severe injuries, said the Observatory, which monitors the violence in the country.

In unsourced comments, Turkey's privately-owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was responsible. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded. An Azaz resident who went to the local hospital told Reuters he had counted around 30 bodies laid out.

Syria's nearly six-year war has create a patchwork of areas of control across the country, and Azaz is a major stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The FSA is an alliance of rebel groups whose fighters have, with Turkish military support, pushed ISIS militants out of the border area.

Saturday's explosion was heard across the border in the Turkish town of Kilis, Dogan said. Anadolu said 23 wounded people had been taken by ambulance to Kilis hospital, one of whom subsequently died.

In a round-up of its military operations over the last 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish military said on Saturday that 21 ISIS militants had been killed in clashes. Turkish warplanes destroyed buildings and vehicles in air strikes on 12 ISIS targets, it said.</s>At least 43 people were killed and dozens more injured in a car bomb attack in Azaz, Syria, on Saturday. The town is located near the Turkish border and is about 30 miles north of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the vehicle used in the blast was a water or oil tanker, the large size of which made it more deadly than a normal car bomb. The Observatory also says six rebel fighters are among the dead, yet many bodies remain unidentified.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack so far, but Azaz is a key stronghold of the Turkish-supported Free Syrian Army, which is fighting the Islamic State. Bonnie Kristian</s>At least 60 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in a car bomb attack that targeted a local court in northern Syrian town of Azaz near the border with Turkey on Saturday.

The explosion ripped through the central market in the town of Azaz in the northern province of Aleppo, damaging a government building and local court house as well. A doctor working in a local hospital told Anadolu Agency that that at least 60 people were killed and more than 50 civilians were injured in the attack.

 

 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the blast. Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said those killed included six opposition fighters. He said the explosion was caused by a rigged water or fuel tanker, which explains the large blast and high death toll.

 

 Some 53 wounded were brought to the state hospital in Turkey's Kilis for treatment. One pf of the injured succumbed to his wounds, whereas five of the heavily injured were transferred to the adjacent Gaziantep province for treatment.

Azaz, controlled by the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), is located some five kilometers south of the border with Turkey. Refugee camps around the town is home to hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians from various parts of the country since 2011. Amid lack of cohesion in international community, refugees in Azaz solely depend on humanitarian aid from Turkish government and NGO's to provide their basic needs.

The attack appeared to be the deadliest yet in the town in northern Aleppo province, which has been regularly hit by bombing targeting opposition fighters and civilians. In November, 25 civilians and opposition fighters were killed in a car bombing of a rebel headquarters blamed on Daesh terrorists. In October, at least 17 people were killed in a car bomb attack on a rebel checkpoint, the Observatory said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, but Osama al-Merhi, a lawyer at the scene of the blast, pointed the finger at Daesh. "These kinds of crimes are only committed by the terrorist group Daesh," he told AFP. "They are the ones who target civilians and the cadres who are building this country." Turkey-based Doğan News Agency also reported that the attack was carried out by Daesh.

 

 The FSA, backed by Turkish ground forces and airstrikes, have cleared Daesh from a large region stretching between the towns of Azaz and Jarablus in northern Syria in Operation Euphrates Shield launched on Aug. 24. PKK's Syrian wing YPG was also prevented to advance into the territory evacuated by Daesh and forming a continuous strip of area south of Turkey' borders under control of an hostile force. The town also lies a couple of kilometers east of self-declared canton of Afrin controlled by YPG.

Some 50 kilometers southeast of Azaz, heavy clashes are ongoing in the town of al-Bab with Daesh terrorists since mid-December. Al-Bab is one of the two targets of Euphrates Shield, with the other one being the town of Manbij controlled by YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Despite Turkey's protests, U.S. and other members of anti-Daesh coalition continue to support the SDF.

The blast comes during a fragile nationwide ceasefire brokered by regime's ally Russia and opposition's backer Turkey. The truce came into effect on December 30, and is intended to pave the way for new peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana, which regime ally Iran is also helping organise.

Syria has been locked in a devastating war killing some 600,000 and displacing millions since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests-which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings-with unexpected ferocity.</s>Beirut (ANTARA News) - A fuel truck exploded in the busy centre of a rebel-held town near Syrias border with Turkey on Saturday, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens more, several sources said.



 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 48 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern Syrian town of Azaz.



 Around 14 of the dead were rebel fighters or courthouse guards, it said.



 Dozens more had severe injuries, said the Observatory, which monitors the violence in the country.



 In unsourced comments, Turkeys privately owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible.



 There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.



 Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded.



 An Azaz resident who went to the local hospital told Reuters he had counted around 30 bodies laid out.



 Syrias nearly six-year war has created a patchwork of areas of control across the country, and Azaz is a major stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).



 The FSA is an alliance of moderate rebel groups whose fighters have, with Turkish military support, pushed Islamic State militants out of the border area.



 Saturdays explosion was heard across the border in the Turkish town of Kilis, Dogan said.



 Anadolu said 23 wounded people had been taken by ambulance to Kilis hospital, one of whom subsequently died.



 Southeast of Azaz, Turkish forces have launched an offensive to take back the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab. 



 In a round-up of its military operations in support of rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish military said that on Friday 21 Islamic State militants had been killed in clashes.



 In a later statement, Turkeys army said that on Saturday one Turkish soldier was killed in clashes with the militants, while Turkish warplanes killed 37 militants, including three senior members of the group, in air strikes.</s>At least 43 people were killed in a car bomb explosion in the Syrian border town of Azaz on Saturday, reported AP. Several people were injured in the blast that took place outside a courthouse. The town in the northern province of Aleppo is around 7 km from the Turkish border, and it is under the control of the rebel forces.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said the explosion was caused by a rigged water or fuel tanker. He said six rebel fighters died in the incident. The town is home to several rebel fighters were were pushed out of Aleppo in December.

The attack has yet to be claimed by a militant group. The Islamic State group has, in the past, orchestrated several attacks in the town, which was under the group’s control in 2013, reported BBC. The incident comes in the middle of a ceasefire agreement recently reached between the rebels and the pro-government forces.

The Syrian Army recaptured Aleppo from the rebel fighter in December 2016, announcing the end of the four-year battle. Russia and Turkey helped the Bashar al-Assad government take back the city, though they have been accused of widespread human rights violations in the process.</s>(BEIRUT) — At least 43 people were killed Saturday when a car bomb went off in a busy market in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border, activists and rescue workers said.

The explosion ripped through the central market in the town of Azaz in the northern province of Aleppo, damaging a government building and local court house as well. Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said those killed included six opposition fighters. He said the explosion was caused by a rigged water or fuel tanker, which explains the large blast and high death toll.



Other activist groups, including the Azaz Media center, put the death toll at 50, adding that search and rescue operations continued for at least two hours after the explosion. The Observatory said the explosion took place near the local court house operated by rebel groups.

Media activist Baha al-Halabi, based in Aleppo province and who gathered information from people in Azaz, said witnesses said there were many unidentified bodies because of the strength of the explosion. Images shared online showed a huge plume of black smoke rising above the chaotic market and sounds of gunfire echoing in the background as onlookers gathered around the site. Bodies were strewn on the ground as a father ran away from the scene hugging his child.

Many rebels and civilians who were pushed out of Aleppo city during a massive government offensive late last year resettled in Azaz. To the west of Azaz, Syrian Kurdish forces have control of a swath of land, and they have often tried to advance toward the town, causing friction with Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters. To the east, opposition fighters backed by Turkey have been pushing back ISIS extremists, gaining territory and advancing on the ISIS-stronghold town of al-Bab, further east.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.</s>At least 43 people were killed when a car bomb ripped through the centre of a busy commercial district of a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border, witnesses have said.

The explosion went off early on Saturday afternoon outside a local courthouse and security headquarters operated by the opposition fighters who control Azaz, resident and activist Saif Alnajdi said.

“It hit the busiest part of the town,” Mr Alnajdi said.

Azaz, only a few miles away from the Turkish border, is a hub for anti-government activists and opposition fighters, as well as many displaced from the recent fighting in Aleppo city.

Activists say its pre-war population of 30,000 has swelled. It is also sandwiched between rival groups, including Kurdish fighters to the west and Turkey-backed opposition groups to the east.

Islamic State militants have been pushed back farther east by the Turkey-backed fighters.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamic State, also known as Isis, has been accused of carrying out attacks there before.

Footage of the aftermath of the explosion showed a gutted area. Activists shared photos of bodies lying on the pavements and in the middle of the street as large clouds of black smoke lingered overhead.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said those killed included six opposition fighters.

He said the explosion was caused by a rigged water or fuel tanker, which explains the large blast and high death toll.

The activist-operated local Azaz media centre put the death toll at 60, adding that search and rescue operations continued for hours after the explosion.

The observatory said the explosion took place near the local courthouse operated by rebel groups.

Mr Alnajdi said rescue workers were still working to identify those killed and ensure bodies were removed from the area, suggesting that the death toll was not final.

He said some of the severely wounded were transported across the border into the Turkish town of Kilis for treatment.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said 53 wounded Syrians were brought to Kilis’ local hospital for treatment, including five in critical condition, transferred to Gaziantep. The agency said one later died.

Mr Alnajdi said some witnesses saw the vehicle — which he described as a tanker - drive into the town’s centre.

The courthouse and the security headquarters were damaged, as well as the Red Crescent and municipality offices, according to activists in the area.

Media activist Baha al-Halabi, based in Aleppo province and who gathered information from people in Azaz, said witnesses reported many unidentified bodies because of the strength of the explosion.

Footage shared online showed a large plume of black smoke rising above the chaotic street and the sound of gunfire in the background as onlookers gathered around the site. In one instance, a father ran away from the scene, carrying his child to safety.

Many rebels and civilians who were pushed out of Aleppo city during a massive government offensive late last year have resettled in Azaz.

Syrian Kurdish forces control territory to the west of Azaz, and have often tried advancing towards the town, causing friction with Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters.

To the east, opposition fighters backed by Turkey have been pushing backIslamic State extremists, gaining territory and advancing on the Islamic State-stronghold town of al-Bab, further east. Turkey considers Syria Kurdish factions there terrorists, linked to a local group it is battling at home.

A nationwide ceasefire has gone into effect across most of Syria after Russia and Turkey, who support opposite sides of the conflict, reached an agreement late December.

It is set to pave the way for peace talks between Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government and the opposition in Kazakhstan later this month.

Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked group Fatah al-Sham Front are not included in the deal, according to the Syrian government.
A fuel truck explodes in the Syrian town of Azaz, near the border with Turkey, killing at least 43 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.