1 civilian dead, 3 hurt in NW Syria terror attack

AL-BAB, Syria

At least one civilian was killed and three more injured in a bomb attack in northwestern Syria on Tuesday, local sources said.

Terrorists blew up an explosives-laden vehicle in an industrial zone in the city of al-Bab, according to the sources.

Shops and other vehicles in the area were damaged, and firefighters rushed to the site to douse blazes sparked by the blast.

The injured were taken to local hospitals, and security forces cordoned off the area to start investigations, the sources said.

Security officials at the blast site said the attack was likely to have been carried out by the YPG/PKK terror group, according to the sources.

Al-Bab, which lies south of Turkey’s southern border, was cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists after Turkey launched its Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016.

Remnants of the terror group, however, still try to target areas cleared by Turkish forces.

Euphrates Shield was the first among a trio of successful anti-terror operations Turkey carried across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of residents.

The other two operations are Euphrates Shield (2016) and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian branch.