A car carrying a bomb exploded Friday in the town center of Reyhanlı district in southern Turkey's Hatay province bordering Syria, killing three Syrian nationals.

Hatay Governor Rahmi Doğan said two Syrian nationals inside the car were killed in the explosion and the subsequent fire, and one other person was injured, who later died at the burn unit in Iskenderun State Hospital.

Soon after the blast, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said initial findings showed that the incident may be terror related. "It is apparent that a bomb was inside the car and those inside were Syrian nationals. All three of them died," Erdoğan said.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu later said the blast is believed to be caused by a handmade explosive. He said the three Syrian nationals involved in the incident were living in Turkey under temporary protection.

The blast took place some 750 meters away from the district governorate building in the town center. Initial reports said that the car, registered in Syria and bearing a temporary Turkish license plate, was parked when the blast happened, but it was later revealed that it was on the move.

It was claimed that the target of the bomb-laden vehicle was people leaving Friday prayers at the nearby Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque located some 50 meters away from the blast scene.

Reyhanlı borders Syria and the town center lies to north of the border, while the Cilvegözü border gate, a main crossing into Syria, is some five kilometers away. The district has been home to a large population of Syrian refugees since the conflict erupted in Syria.

On May 11, 2013, a bomb-laden vehicle was detonated in Reyhanlı town center first, killing scores and causing destruction. A second vehicle was detonated five minutes later after dozens, including civilians, first-aid units and security forces, had rushed to the area to help those wounded in the attack.

In addition to killing 53 people and injuring dozens of others, the attack devastated the district, damaging 912 houses, 891 businesses and 148 vehicles. It was the deadliest attack in the country at the time.

The attack was staged by the armed terrorist group the People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey (THKP/C), a former Turkey-based left-wing group that moved to Syria in the 1990s. Syrian intelligence agency al-Mukhabarat was also implicated in the attack, which was conducted by an operative who brought in explosives from Syria and detailed orders on where and how to stage the attack. Pundits claimed that the Assad regime sought to hit the Syrian opposition inside the borders of their main supporter Turkey, and Reyhanlı, as one of the main concentration centers of opposition groups, was chosen for the attack. It was also claimed that by targeting predominantly Sunni Turkmen and the Arab town of Reyhanlı, the regime sought to ignite ethnic tensions inside Turkey and specifically Hatay, where a significant Alawite population lives.

Three months earlier on February 11, 2013, a bomb-laden vehicle brought in Syria was detonated inside the no man's land between Cilvegözü and Bab al-Hawa border gates, killing 18 people and wounding 24 others.

Later in 2017 and early 2018, the town was targeted by the PKK's Syrian offshoot the People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorist group in mortar and rocket attacks launched from positions in Syria's northwestern Afrin district. One person was killed and several others were injured in the attacks, which also targeted Kilis and Gaziantep provinces bordering Syria. Soon after, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch, clearing the area of PKK/YPG militants. </s> A bomb exploded inside a vehicle in southern Turkey on Friday, killing three Syrians.

Early reports said two of the Syrians killed were inside the vehicle at the time of the explosion - but it was not clear whether the third person was also a passenger.

The blast, which took place in the border town of Reyhanli, was also a short distance away from a local government office.

In a statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident was believed to have been caused by a bomb inside the vehicle.

He added that such findings have led investigators to believe the explosion may have been terror-related. </s> At least three people have been killed in a car bomb blast in the southern Turkish town of Reyhanli, located close to the Syrian border.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Friday that initial findings showed the incident in Hatay province may be terror-related.

“Our colleagues are looking into who was behind this,” he said, adding that the government would provide more information in a few hours.

Al Jazeera correspondent said the victims, who were inside the vehicle when it exploded, were believed to be Syrian.

“Reyhanli is close to Syria’s Idlib province so it is [an] important [location] for Syrians passing through from Turkey to Syria,” she said.

Local Governor Rahmi Dogan told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency that the cause of the blast was not immediately known.

Anadolu reported that the blast site was less than a kilometre from the governor’s office.

Video footage distributed by local news agencies showed a car in the middle of the street covered in flames before being extinguished by firefighters.

In May 2013, a twin car bombing blamed on pro-Damascus groups in Reyhanli killed more than 50 people, in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey’s modern history.

Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) armed group and Kurdish fighters, which left hundreds dead.

The last major attack was the New Year massacre by a gunman at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, just minutes into 2017, which left 39 dead. </s> ISTANBUL: A car exploded in southeast Turkey near the border with Syria on Friday, killing three Syrian people, President Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that initial findings showed the blast may be terrorism-related.

The explosion took place in the town of Reyhanli, where officials are carrying out inspections to determine its cause, Erdogan said. He said it was clear the explosion was the result of a bomb inside the vehicle detonating.

Security sources said one of the Syrian passengers in the car was a suicide bomber whose explosive device detonated early, causing the blast. The sources said the passengers in the car were being investigated for potential links to Islamic State, and added that one person was also wounded in the blast.

Reyhanli is home to thousands of Syrian refugees. Following a series of bombings in the region in 2013, Turkey tightened controls along its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria.

Twin car bombs ripped through the town, which is in Hatay province, on May 11, 2013, killing 52 people. At the time, Turkey accused a group loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of carrying out the attacks. Damascus denied any involvement.

In May, Turkey handed down 53 life sentences without parole to Yusuf Nazik, the man authorities say planned the 2013 bomb attack.

Turkey has been one of the biggest supporters of the rebels fighting Syrian government forces during the eight-year conflict in Syria. It hosts some 3.5 million Syrian refugees. </s> Two people were killed on Friday after a car blast in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border, state media reported

Ankara, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 5th Jul, 2019 ) :Two people were killed on Friday after a car blast in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border, state media reported.

Two others were also injured, state news agency Anadolu said, as ambulances and police were rushed to the scene. The governor of Hatay province, where Reyhanli is located, Rahmi Dogan, told Anadolu that the cause of the explosion was not yet known. </s> A bomb went off in a car near Turkey’s border with Syria on Friday, killing two Syrians who were inside the vehicle, Turkey’s interior minister said.

A bomb went off in a car near Turkey’s border with Syria on Friday, killing two Syrians who were inside the vehicle, Turkey’s interior minister said.

Two Syrians killed in ‘terror’ blast in Turkish border city

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the explosion appeared to be terror-linked.

The blast occurred inside a car some 750 yards from a local government office in the border town of Reyhanli, in Hatay province, Anadolu Agency said.

Earlier, Mr Erdogan said three Syrians were killed in the explosion, but interior minister Suleyman Soylu later said only two were killed.

The third Syrian was in serious condition.

Mr Soylu said the explosion was caused by a hand-made bomb which went off while the car was in transit.

He said all three Syrians were legally registered in Turkey.

He did not identify them.

“It is clear that there was a bomb inside the vehicle,” Mr Erdogan said.

“The findings at the moment indicate that it was … linked to terrorism.”

In 2013, two car bomb attacks in Reyhanli killed 52 people, including Syrian refugees.

Turkey was also hit by a wave of attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants that killed around 300 people.

In the last major attack, 39 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at an Istanbul nightclub during New Year celebrations in the early hours of 2017.

The attack was claimed by the IS group. </s> Erdogan says Turkey car blast may be terror-linked

Ankara: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said three Syrians were killed in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border in a car blast that may be terror-related. “The initial findings suggest there may be more of a link with terror,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. “It is clear there was a bomb in the car,” he said. “Our colleagues are looking into who was behind this,” he said in televised comments, adding the government would provide more information in a few hours. The blast took place less than a kilometre from the Reyhanli district governor’s office around 1000 GMT, state news agency Anadolu reported. Images in Turkish media showed thick black smoke and flames from the car as firefighters fought the blaze. A twin car bombing blamed on pro-Damascus groups in May 2013 in Reyhanli killed over 50 people in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey’s modern history. Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on the Islamic State extremist group and Kurdish militants, which left hundreds dead. </s> A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device went off in Turkey's southern city of Reyhanli on Friday, Suleyman Soylu, the country's interior minister, said

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2019) A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device went off in Turkey 's southern city of Reyhanli on Friday, Suleyman Soylu, the country's interior minister , said.

Earlier in the day, the Anadolu news agency reported that two people were killed and two others injured as a result of a car bomb blast.

"We believe that there was an improvised explosive device in the car. It exploded when [the car] was moving. All three Syrians who were in the car resided in Turkey under temporary residence permits. Two of them died, one sustained serious injuries," Soylu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the incident could be linked to terrorism. </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 car bomb explodes in the Turkish city of Reyhanlı. The blast kills three Syrian citizens who were inside the car.