The explosion of a car bomb killed 13 people on Saturday (November 2nd) in Tal Abyad, northern Syria. Located on the border with Turkey, the city was conquered by the Turkish army and Syrian deputies in favor of an offensive launched on October 9 against a Kurdish militia.
The explosion at a market killed 13 civilians and injured 20 people, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) reported the death of 14 people, civilians and rebels backed by Ankara.
Ankara attributed the attack to the Kurdish militia of the People's Protection Units (YPG), but the OSDH was unable to identify those responsible.
"We condemn (...) this inhuman attack perpetrated by YPG bloodthirsty terrorists against innocent civilians in Tal Abyad," the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The offensive launched by Turkey allowed it to take control of a strip of territory 120 km long and about thirty km deep from Tal Abyad to Ras al-Ain.
The operation, which left hundreds dead and displaced tens of thousands, was halted after two agreements negotiated by Ankara, first with Washington, then with Moscow on October 22.
The goal was to move the YPG away from the Turkish border. On Friday, Turkish and Russian troops conducted their first joint patrols to ensure the total withdrawal of Kurdish forces.
With AFP