On Sunday, a car bomb exploded in the market in the center of the city of Afrin in the Aleppo countryside, causing a number of civilian casualties and inflicting major damage, according to video recordings.
The explosion occurred in the al-Hal market, where a large number of civilians go to purchase fruits and vegetables, and where videos showed the remains of victims at the site of the explosion. Activists said that civilians had died, but that there was not yet a final toll of the number of dead and wounded.
By midday, no entity had claimed responsibility for the explosion, but Afrin has recently witnessed an increase in the number of such blasts. On Thursday, a motorcycle exploded on Rajou street in the city center, killing four civilians and wounding nine others.
Such blasts have also increased recently in the northern and eastern Aleppo countryside, which has led to a collapse of the security situation in the areas controlled by the opposition in northern Syria.
The explosion that hit Afrin on Sunday came a day after Free Syrian Army factions in northern Syria announced their readiness to participate in a military operation which Turkey intends to carry out east of the Euphrates against members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
