Accessibility links

Breaking News

3 Bombs Explode in Northeast Syria; at Least 6 Killed


People check the aftermath of a car bomb blast in the city of Qamishli, northern Syria, Nov. 12, 2019.
People check the aftermath of a car bomb blast in the city of Qamishli, northern Syria, Nov. 12, 2019.

Three bombs have exploded in northeast Syria, leaving at least six people dead, according to security officials.
The explosions happened Monday in the town of Qamishli, which is largely controlled by Kurdish fighters.

Two car bombs and an explosives-rigged motorcycle blew up in a busy market, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Security forces say at least 22 people were wounded in the explosions.

Northern Syria has been hit by several explosions over the past month, and Kurdish leaders say Islamic State sleeper cells continue to operate in the region.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's bombings.

The incident come weeks after Turkey launched an incursion into northeast Syria to target Kurdish fighters following a U.S. withdrawal of troops.

The Kurdish YPG militia fought alongside the United States to battle Islamic State, however, Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist threat linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

Ankara stopped its offensive following U.S. and Russian cease-fires brokered with Turkey, which saw Kurdish forces withdraw from most areas along the Turkish border. Reports, however, say in recent days, opposition activists have reported shelling and airstrikes in the Idlib area of northwest Syria.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG