2020 Afrin bombing
36°30′43″N 36°52′10″E / 36.5119°N 36.8694°E / 36.5119; 36.8694
Terrorist attack
| 2020 Afrin bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the SDF insurgency in Northern Aleppo | |
| Location | Afrin, Aleppo Governorate, Syria |
| Date | 28 April 2020 |
| Target | Marketplace |
Attack type | Truck bombing, mass murder |
| Deaths | 53 |
| Injured | 50+ |
| Perpetrator | Unknown / not claimed YPG (Turkish claim) SNA infighting (SDF claim) |
The 2020 Afrin bombing was a truck bombing in the city of Afrin, Syria. The bombing occurred on 23 April 2020 and killing 53 people and injuring a least another 50.
Bombing
On the afternoon of 28 April 2020, a truck bombing occurred a few meters away from the governor's residence in Raju street in Afrin, Aleppo Governorate.[1][2][3] A bomb in a tank truck was detonated at an open-air market in Souk Ali in the city centre.[2][3] According to the governor of the neighbouring Hatay province, across the Turkish border, the explosion was believed to have been caused by the rigging of a fuel tanker with hand grenades.[4] The attack killed at least 53 civilians (including 11 children) and 12 Turkish-backed fighters, and injured over 50 others.[2][5][6][7] Many people, alongside those who got trapped in their cars were burnt to death as a result of the blast, Syrian activists disclosed.[8]
Responsibility
The Turkish government immediately blamed the People's Protection Units (YPG).[2][3] The Syrian Democratic Council and the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, condemned the bombing[9] and blamed Turkish policy, pointing out that "gangs armed by Turkey" had been involved in similar attacks.[10][11]
According to the German Marxist newspaper Junge Welt, the nature of the attack and recent tensions suggests a jihadist group.[12] Clashes between jihadist militias regularly take place in the Afrin and Idlib regions.[13][12] Significant tensions have recently re-emerged between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main rebel jihadist force in Idlib, and the Turkish government.[12] HTS has accused Ankara of treason since the Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreed in early March 2020. The week prior to the Afrin bombing, the militiamen destroyed a Turkish tank while the Turkish Air Force allegedly destroyed a HTS base by drone.[12]
References
- ^ "Following Afrin carnage, Turkish intelligence adopt new precautionary measures by closing all city entrances • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". April 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Dozens killed in truck bomb attack at Syria market". BBC News. April 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Bomb blast kills 40 people in Syria's Afrin". The Straits Times. April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Syria war: Dozens killed in truck bomb attack at Afrin market".
- ^ "Afrin carnage: death toll jumps to 52 persons, amid condemnation by opposition parties and organizations against Turkish authorities • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- ^ "PKK/YPG supporters rejoice in the Afrin terror attack". PKK/YPG supporters rejoice in the Afrin terror attack. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- ^ "Weekly Conflict Summary | 27 April - 3 May 2020" (PDF). Carter Center. May 3, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Attack in Syria Town Run by Turkish-Backed Fighters Kills 40". The New York Times.
- ^ "القوات الكردية تنفي الاتهامات التركية بوقوفها خلف تفجير عفرين الدموي والذي تسبب بمقتل وجرح أكثر من 100 شخص • المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان". April 29, 2020.
- ^ "Mazlum Ebdi Efrin'deki saldırıyı kınadı". mezopotamyaajansi.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ Faidhi Dri, Karwan (2020-04-29). "Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria condemn 'cowardly' Afrin bombing". Rudaw.net. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- ^ a b c d "Massaker in Afrin". junge Welt (in German). 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ "UN rights chief calls for Turkey to probe violations in northern Syria". UN News. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
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