A fuel truck exploded in the busy centre of a rebel-held town near Syria's border with Turkey on Saturday, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens more, several sources said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern Syrian town of Azaz.

Dozens more had severe injuries, said the Observatory, which monitors the violence in the country.

In unsourced comments, Turkey's privately owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded. </s> A fuel truck exploded in the busy centre of a rebel-held town near Syria's border with Turkey on Saturday, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens more, several sources said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern Syrian town of Azaz. Dozens more had severe injuries, said the Observatory, which monitors the violence in the country.

In unsourced comments, Turkey's privately-owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was responsible. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded. An Azaz resident who went to the local hospital told Reuters he had counted around 30 bodies laid out.

Syria's nearly six-year war has create a patchwork of areas of control across the country, and Azaz is a major stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The FSA is an alliance of rebel groups whose fighters have, with Turkish military support, pushed ISIS militants out of the border area.

Saturday's explosion was heard across the border in the Turkish town of Kilis, Dogan said. Anadolu said 23 wounded people had been taken by ambulance to Kilis hospital, one of whom subsequently died.

In a round-up of its military operations over the last 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish military said on Saturday that 21 ISIS militants had been killed in clashes. Turkish warplanes destroyed buildings and vehicles in air strikes on 12 ISIS targets, it said. </s> Beirut (ANTARA News) - A fuel truck exploded in the busy centre of a rebel-held town near Syrias border with Turkey on Saturday, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens more, several sources said.



 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 48 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern Syrian town of Azaz.



 Around 14 of the dead were rebel fighters or courthouse guards, it said.



 Dozens more had severe injuries, said the Observatory, which monitors the violence in the country.



 In unsourced comments, Turkeys privately owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible.



 There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.



 Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded.



 An Azaz resident who went to the local hospital told Reuters he had counted around 30 bodies laid out.



 Syrias nearly six-year war has created a patchwork of areas of control across the country, and Azaz is a major stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).



 The FSA is an alliance of moderate rebel groups whose fighters have, with Turkish military support, pushed Islamic State militants out of the border area.



 Saturdays explosion was heard across the border in the Turkish town of Kilis, Dogan said.



 Anadolu said 23 wounded people had been taken by ambulance to Kilis hospital, one of whom subsequently died.



 Southeast of Azaz, Turkish forces have launched an offensive to take back the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab. 



 In a round-up of its military operations in support of rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish military said that on Friday 21 Islamic State militants had been killed in clashes.



 In a later statement, Turkeys army said that on Saturday one Turkish soldier was killed in clashes with the militants, while Turkish warplanes killed 37 militants, including three senior members of the group, in air strikes. </s> Fuel truck explodes in front of courthouse in Azaz, and news agency says car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A fuel truck has exploded in the centre of a rebel-held town near Syria’s border with Turkey, killing dozens of people.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 48 people, mostly civilians, were killed when the tanker blew up in front of a courthouse in the northern town of Azaz. Around 14 of the dead were rebel fighters or courthouse guards, it said. Dozens more were injured.

Turkey’s privately owned Dogan news agency said a car bomb planted by Islamic State was responsible. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the militant group.

Osama al-Merhi, a lawyer at the scene of the blast, also pointed the finger at IS.

“These kinds of crimes are only committed by the terrorist group Daesh,” he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS. “They are the ones who target civilians and the cadres who are building this country.”

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency cited a doctor in Azaz as saying that at least 60 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded. An Azaz resident who went to the local hospital told Reuters he had counted around 30 bodies laid out.

The attack appeared to be the deadliest yet in the town in northern Aleppo province, which has been regularly hit by bombings targeting rebels and civilians. In November rebels said 25 people – civilians and opposition fighters – were killed in a car bombing of a rebel headquarters. The rebels accused the Islamic State group of being behind that attack.

Syria’s nearly six-year war has create a patchwork of areas of control across the country.Azaz is a stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), an alliance of moderate rebel groups whose fighters have, with Turkish military support, pushed Islamic State militants out of the border area.

In a roundup of its military operations over the last 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish military said on Saturday that 21 Islamic State militants had been killed in clashes.

It said its warplanes had destroyed buildings and vehicles in airstrikes on 12 Islamic State targets.

The blast comes during a fragile nationwide ceasefire brokered by Syrian government ally Russia and Turkey. The truce came into effect on December 30 and is intended to pave the way for new peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana, which regime ally Iran is also helping organise.

But the ceasefire and the planned talks have been threatened by ongoing violence in the rebel-held Wadi Barada region outside Damascus, which is the main water source for the capital. </s> At least 43 people were killed and dozens more injured in a car bomb attack in Azaz, Syria, on Saturday. The town is located near the Turkish border and is about 30 miles north of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the vehicle used in the blast was a water or oil tanker, the large size of which made it more deadly than a normal car bomb. The Observatory also says six rebel fighters are among the dead, yet many bodies remain unidentified.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack so far, but Azaz is a key stronghold of the Turkish-supported Free Syrian Army, which is fighting the Islamic State. Bonnie Kristian </s> A blast has torn through the Syrian town of Azaz, killing at least 43 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The U.K.-based activist group says the explosion was caused by a fuel tanker rigged with a bomb, which went off outside a courthouse in the rebel-held town on Syria's border with Turkey.

Reuters reports that Turkey's state-run Andalou news service puts the death toll even higher, quoting a doctor who says at least 60 people have been killed and more than 50 have been wounded. Most of the victims of the car bomb were civilians, the Observatory says.

The Associated Press describes the scene of the explosion:

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, though the BBC reports that the Islamic State has been blamed.

The violence comes just over a week after Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire in the civil war-ravaged country. Since then, violence has ebbed, but rebel factions have protested what they call breaches of the agreement by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. They have suspended their preparations for the peace talks planned for later this month, throwing those negotiations into doubt.

The Free Syrian Army, a rebel group backed by the Turkish government, controls Azaz, which lies less than five miles from the border. According to Al-Jazeera, the town has been racked by violence in recent months — including a November attack on rebel headquarters that killed 25 people, and another attack in October that killed at least 20 people.

Just across the border, Turkey has seen its own share of the region's violence recently. Last year, a suicide bombing in the nearby Turkish city of Gaziantep claimed the lives of at least 66 people outside a wedding. Turkish officials said that ISIS was responsible for that attack. </s> BEIRUT — Syrian opposition activists are reporting that a car bomb in a northern town held by Turkey-backed fighters has killed at least 13, and wounded dozens of people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 people were killed, and dozens wounded in the Sunday night blast in the centre of the town, Azaz.

The Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, said the blast killed at least 13 people and wounded many others.

The blast occurred after the “iftar” meal that breaks a daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The town, which was once controlled by rival Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey, has been hit by similar attacks in the past. </s> A bomb blast killed at least four people and wounded many more in a rebel-held town in northern Syria near the Turkish border on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

BEIRUT: A bomb blast killed at least four people and wounded many more in a rebel-held town in northern Syria near the Turkish border on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

The explosion hit the town of Azaz, which has long been an important base for rebels, including groups backed by Turkey.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which the British-based Observatory said was likely from a car bomb. </s> Beirut: A suicide car bomb in a northwestern Syrian city held by Turkey-backed rebels killed at least 14 people on Sunday, a war monitor said.

Four children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, a city at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in northern Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.

“Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,” Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said.

It was not clear who was behind the attack.

The bombing comes one day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqa.

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and seized more than 2,000 square kilometres in northern Syria including Azaz, clearing the area of the Islamic State jihadists, while preventing any Kurdish advance in the region.

Ankara keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area, and still backs the local police forces.
A fuel truck explodes in the Syrian town of Azaz, near the border with Turkey, killing at least 43 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.