Car bombing kills 20 in northern Syria’s Manbij: Presidency

The Syrian presidential palace stated that a car bomb attack occurred on the outskirts of Manbij in northern Syria, resulting in at least 20 deaths and numerous injuries. This attack is the deadliest the country has seen since President Bashar al-Assad stepped down last December.

This incident is also the seventh car bomb attack in the region in just over a month, an area that has been experiencing ongoing fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish-led armed groups. The office of Syria’s new president, Ahmed Shala, condemned the "terrorist" attack and stated that those responsible would be held accountable.

The presidential palace statement said, "This crime will not go unpunished, and the perpetrators will receive the most severe penalties as a warning to anyone who attempts to jeopardize Syria's security or harm the Syrian people." Hospital staff told the Associated Press on Monday that the car bomb detonated near a vehicle carrying agricultural workers during the night. The Syrian civil defense organization, the White Helmets, stated that at least 11 women and 3 children were killed in the attack.

A rescue organization said in a statement, "Every victim has a family and dreams. They were working to earn a living, but instead encountered death and pain. Justice must be served for them, and the perpetrators of this crime must be held accountable." As of now, no organization has claimed responsibility for the explosion. Previously, the state news agency SANA reported that a car bomb attack in the city on Saturday also resulted in 4 deaths and 9 injuries.

Jamil Sayyid, an activist and journalist in Manbij, told the Associated Press that the frequent attacks have forced residents to increase their vigilance. "The people of Manbij are working to strengthen the protection of some communities and install surveillance cameras in the main areas of the city," Sayyid said. Manbij, located south of the Turkish border and east of Aleppo, has changed hands multiple times during the Syrian war that began in 2011. Last December, Turkish-backed armed groups seized the city from the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who condemned Monday's explosion.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have implied, without evidence, that Turkish "mercenaries" were behind the attack. Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, considers the SDF to be an extension of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it views as "terrorist" organizations. Shala, the former rebel leader who assumed the presidency in a transitional capacity earlier this month, is scheduled to visit Turkey later this week.