A car bomb explosion in the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Monday killed at least 15 people, making it the deadliest attack in Syria since Bashar al-Assad’s ousting in December. This marks the second bombing in just three days and comes amid escalating violence in the region.
The victims, identified by the civil defense rescue service, included 14 women and one man, with 15 other women injured. Most of the victims were agricultural workers. Local authorities have warned that the death toll may rise as rescue operations continue.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred approximately 30 kilometers from the Turkish border. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) strongly condemned the attack, accusing Turkey-backed factions of using such bombings to instill fear among the local population.
Manbij, a city that has seen multiple changes in control throughout Syria’s ongoing civil war, was last seized by Turkey-backed groups in December, after previously being captured by the SDF from the Islamic State in 2016.
This attack follows another bombing on Saturday, which killed four civilians and injured nine others, including children.
Since December 8, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group has gained control over much of the country, with its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, recently declared Syria’s transitional president.
