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Afrin truck bombing kills dozens in Syria

The explosion during the holy month of Ramadan in the city controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels killed at least 36 and wounded at least 40.

AFRIN, SYRIA - MARCH 28: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY √¢ MANDATORY CREDIT - " TURKISH NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTRY / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) A footage captured from a video shows burning vehicles and shops after an attack carried out by PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, and Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey regards as a terror group, in Afrin, Syria on April 28, 2020. Civilian death toll in YPG/PKK attac
Footage captured from video shows burning vehicles and shops after a fuel tanker exploded in an attack in Afrin, Syria, on April 28, 2020. — Turkish Defense Ministry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A car bomb ripped through the Syrian city of Afrin on Tuesday, killing dozens. It was the latest security incident in the area Turkish-backed Syrian rebel forces took from Kurdish forces in 2018.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a bomb-laden fuel truck exploded in an outdoors market in the city, killing at least 36; many died from burns. The Turkish Defense Ministry said 40 had died, while the Syrian Civil Defense, aka the White Helmets, put the death toll at 42. Six Turkish-backed fighters were among the dead, and at least 40 people were wounded, some critically, the observatory said. 

Videos posted on social media showed fires engulfing several vehicles and much of the street.

“Most of them were burned to death in the inferno,” the White Helmets, which operates in rebel-held areas, posted on Twitter.

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