Deadly Car Bombing Kills at Least 15 in Northern Syria

A car bomb explosion on the outskirts of Manbij, a city in northern Syria, killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more on Monday, according to local civil defense and war monitoring groups, The Associated Press reports.

The blast occurred near a vehicle carrying agricultural workers, killing 14 women and one man, the Syrian civil defense reported. They added that 15 other women sustained injuries, some in critical condition. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, provided a higher death toll, reporting that 18 women and one man were killed in the attack.

This is the seventh car bomb explosion in Manbij in just over a month, highlighting the ongoing instability in the region. Munir Mustafa, deputy director of the civil defense organization known as the White Helmets, warned that these persistent attacks in Aleppo province are hindering Syria’s progress towards post-war security and economic recovery.

Manbij, located in northeastern Aleppo province, remains a volatile area. Despite the defeat of President Bashar al-Assad in December, clashes persist between Turkish-backed Syrian National Army factions and the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.