Damascus, Feb 4: A car bomb explosion on the outskirts of a northern Syrian city on Monday, killing at least 19 people, all but one of them women, and leaving more than a dozen wounded, hospital workers said.The car detonated next to a vehicle carrying mostly female agricultural workers on the outskirts of the city of Manbij.
The dead included 18 women and one man, a nurse at the hospital, Mohammad Ahmad, told The Associated Press. Another 15 women were wounded, some of them in critical condition, according to the local Syrian civil defense.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.
“The continued attacks on Syrian civilian areas and targeting civilians while they are trying to recover from the effects of the war of the defunct Assad regime that lasted for about 14 years threatens their lives, deepens their humanitarian tragedy, undermines educational and agricultural activities and livelihoods, and worsens the humanitarian situation in Syria,” Mustafa said.
Manbij in northeastern Aleppo province continues to witness violence even after the downfall of President Bashar Assad in December, where Turkish-backed factions known as the Syrian National Army continue to clash with the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
A car bombing in Manbij on Saturday killed four civilians and wounded nine, SANA reported, citing civil defence officials.