SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Two explosions killed at least seven people and injured scores on Tuesday in areas of northwest Syria near the Turkish border, according to witnesses and police sources.
A blast exploded at a road junction on the outskirts of al-Bab city in north of Aleppo province, killing five people and wounding 20 others, Reuters cited the witnesses and police sources as saying.
A few hours later, at least two civilians were killed and 17 others wounded in a car blast in Afrin, a mainly Kurdish area which Turkish forces and their Syrian allies took from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in 2018.
Video posted on social media showed footage of mangled cars and extensive damage to an industrial area with fires burning, Reuters reported.
The two cities, which Turkey administers with the help of Syrian Arab rebels it backs, have in the last year been frequently hit by bombings detonated in crowded civilian areas.
Turkey accuses the YPG of carrying out the blasts that have killed dozens in the towns near the border under Turkish troops’ control.
There was no immediate comment from the YPG, which has denied previous accusations of attacks on civilians. It says it only targets Turkish soldiers and their allies in a guerrilla campaign to drive out “occupiers”.
The YPG says Ankara wants to drive out Kurds and settle Arabs.
