Rare car bomb attack kills woman and child in Syria’s Manbij

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A woman and child were killed and five other people injured when a car bomb detonated in the center of the Syrian city of Manbij, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Saturday.

The local Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that five civilians were injured, including three women. They were transported to hospitals for treatment.

Even though ISIS lost the entirety of its self-styled caliphate in 2019, the group continues to mount attacks across Syria, most of them targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and civilians in SDF-held areas.

However, attacks in Manbij are relatively rare compared to other regions.

According to data from the Syria-based Rojava Information Centre (RIC) there are seldom ISIS sleeper cell attacks in Manbij. The majority of these ISIS attacks are carried out in the eastern Deir al-Zor province. Other attacks usually take place in Raqqa and Hasakah provinces.

Read More: Syria’s Manbij stable despite occasional Turkish shelling: spokesperson

The Manbij Military Council (MMC), supported by the SDF, liberated Manbij with US support in 2016 in one of the bloodiest campaigns Syria has witnessed against the extremist group.

Last summer there was some unrest and protests in Manbij over conscription. In response, the local authorities temporarily suspended conscription.