A car bomb explosion in northern Syria killed at least 15 people, including 14 women, and wounded 15 others on Monday, according to first responders. The attack targeted a vehicle transporting agricultural workers on the outskirts of Manbij, east of Aleppo, the Syria Civil Defense agency, also known as the White Helmets, reported.
Emergency responders said some of the injured remain in critical condition, warning that the death toll could rise. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which marks the deadliest attack since rebel forces ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December.
This was the second car bomb attack in Manbij in three days. On Saturday, an explosion in the city center killed four people, including two children and a woman, according to the Syria Civil Defense.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that the latest explosion occurred near a military position and that nine of the deceased were fighters linked to pro-Turkish forces.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Manbij and surrounding areas have experienced intense clashes between Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) factions and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which receives support from the United States.
The SNA launched an offensive to seize territory west of the Euphrates River, an area previously controlled by the SDF since it expelled the Islamic State (IS) in 2016. The SNA took control of Manbij on December 9 after fighters from the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council withdrew. However, the SDF has since launched a counter-offensive.
