A car bomb in northwest Syrian town of Afrin, near the border with Turkey, killed at least six people and wounded over 25 on Saturday, Turkish media is reporting. The car bombing took place in the town’s center adjacent to an industrial site.
No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack. However, Turkey’s defense ministry reportedly blamed the attack on the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Ankara regards YPG as a terrorist group linked to the outlawed PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey.
In 2018 during the “Olive Branch” offensive, the town and adjacent areas were the scene of fighting between Turkish troops and Syrian allies to clear YPG fighters from the area. In general, Turkey regards the operation as a success; however, it maintains a military presence in the area due to continued attack.
In the PKK’s more than 30-year insurgency against Turkey, with a view to gaining autonomy, close to 40,000 people have been killed.