A car bomb exploded near a Russian base in northeastern Syria
Officers from the Russian army at the Hmeimim base near Latakia.
Archives - AFP
A car bomb exploded after midnight Thursday, Friday, near a base for the Russian forces in northeastern Syria, in an attack, the first of its kind carried out by a militant faction against Moscow in the region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The observatory stated that a "pickup" car exploded moments after it was parked near one of the mounds of a Russian forces base in the Tal al-Saman area in the northern countryside of Raqqa, and two people got out of it.
The director of the observatory, Rami Abdul-Rahman, told AFP that there were casualties, without confirming their number, explaining that the area is under the control of the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and that the Syrian army and the Russians are present.
The extremist Guardians of Religion Organization, which is linked to the terrorist organization "Al Qaeda" and is active in northwestern Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement circulated on the Internet, the source of which was not confirmed by France Press.
The terrorist organization is fighting alongside the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham (formerly Al-Nusra), which currently controls about half of Idlib's area and limited areas adjacent to the governorates of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.
He has never carried out operations outside the region.
"It is the first direct targeting of a Russian base in northeastern Syria," Abdul-Rahman said, while Moscow has repeatedly accused the factions of targeting its main air base in western Syria with drones.
Russia, which began its military intervention in Syria at the end of 2015, provides air support to the Syrian forces in their military operations, the most recent of which is in Idlib.
It also deploy its forces in several areas in northern and eastern Syria within the framework of truce agreements with Ankara, which supports the armed factions.
Syria has been witnessing a bloody conflict since 2011 that has killed more than 380,000 people, caused massive damage to the infrastructure and productive sectors, and led to the displacement and displacement of millions of people inside and outside the country.
The attack was the first of its kind against Moscow in the region.
Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news