Explosion in Afrin kills one, injures five

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – One person was killed and five were reported injured when a car bomb exploded in the Kurdish city of Afrin in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo province on Monday afternoon.

An anonymous source in Afrin told Kurdistan 24 that a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) exploded near the Kawa roundabout in Afrin.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the bomb exploded near the headquarters of Jaysh al-Islam (Islamic Army).

Turkish-backed factions have controlled Afrin since March 2018, when Turkey invaded the enclave in a cross-border offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which had controlled the area since 2012. The operation killed scores of civilians and forced thousands of Kurds to flee their homes.

Afrin has been plagued by regular attacks on Turkish-backed forces and indiscriminate bombings that have also killed civilians. The area sees frequent infighting between rival Turkish-backed factions that also lead to civilian deaths.

No one has credibly claimed responsibility for these incidents, but the Turkish state blames insurgents tied to the YPG for similar deadly attacks.

The YPG and the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have previously condemned previous indiscriminate attacks while rejecting the Turkish accusations.

The Afrin attack comes after two Turkish officers were killed in a guided rocket attack in northern Aleppo on Sunday.

Read More: Two Turkish police officers killed in northern Syria: Turkish Defense Ministry

Moreover, in the last few days, Turkish-backed groups and the Turkish Army have intensified their shelling in areas under the control of the Kurdish-run SDF near Tal Tamr, Manbij, and areas under YPG control in northern Aleppo.