Three killed in car bombing in northern Syria's Afrin

Three killed in car bombing in northern Syria's Afrin
A car bombing in the northern Syrian town of Afrin killed at least three people, with Turkish forces who operated in the area blaming Kurdish rebel groups for the attack.
2 min read
06 September, 2021
Afrin, under Turkish control, often witnesses car bombings [Getty]

Three people died and at least six others injured in a car bombing in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on Sunday, the Turkish defence ministry said.

The explosion was similar to those allegedly carried out by Kurdish forces and the Islamic State group, the ministry said.

"The terrorist organisation PKK/YPG continues terrorist attacks similar to Daesh (IS)," the ministry wrote on its official Twitter page.

The ministry was referring to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian-Kurdish militia group, the People's Protection Units (YPG) which Ankara says is the same entity.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had a different death toll, reporting one person dead and four wounded.

Afrin has witnessed several car bombings over the years, which Turkish forces often blame on Kurdish groups.

The Turkish military and Ankara-backed Syrian National Army carried out a cross-border military operation in 2018 to create a buffer zone in northern Syria, taking over Afrin district.

Turkey and the PKK/YPG have been engaged in decades of fighting, as Ankara considers them terrorists.