Error occured during this request! Please try again later.
Syria
Firefighters and security work at the site of an explosion in the northeastern Syria city of Qamishli on November 11, 2019. Photo: AFP / Delil Souleiman
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Three explosions rocked the center of the northeast Syrian city of Qamishli, killing at least six people and injuring 47 others, according to a local health authority.
The first two explosions took place in front of a hotel in quick succession, according to an eyewitness.
“When the explosion took place, I jumped into a shop. There was about five minutes between both explosions. When the first one took place, we came out to see if there were any injuries,” the witness told Rudaw reporter Viviyan Fatah at the scene.
“When we arrived there the second explosion took place. Then, we all dispersed. I took hold of the hand of one of the injured and took him,” he continued.
The hotel suffered 'great material damage' in the two blasts, Fatah reported.
Qamishli is a predominantly Kurdish city in northeast Syria, governed by both local Kurdish forces and the Syrian government.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had been in control of the city for nearly a decade until they withdrew as part of a Russia-brokered deal with Turkey, which launched Operation Peace Spring against the SDF in early October.
In the latest available figures, the Jazira canton's Health Committee put the death toll at 6, with 47 injured.
Local media initially reported three people died and five were injured in the blasts.
The first two explosions were carried out using car bombs, according to Fatah, who also heard a third of currently unidentified origin.
A large number of security forces had been deployed to the city since Monday morning, signaling that the forces may have had intelligence about the explosions, Fatah added.
SDF spokesperson Mustafa Bali tweeted a video purportedly showing the immediate aftermath of the explosions.
"The fight to exterminate Kurdish rights and existence is continuing. Carried out by the same power with different names. TFSA [Turkey Free Syrian Army], ISIS, Turkey are a de-facto coalition of anti-Kurdish campaign."
Bali's use of the TFSA acronym refers to the Free Syrian Army, with T for Turkey added to the commonly used FSA.
The first two explosions took place in front of a hotel in quick succession, according to an eyewitness.
“When the explosion took place, I jumped into a shop. There was about five minutes between both explosions. When the first one took place, we came out to see if there were any injuries,” the witness told Rudaw reporter Viviyan Fatah at the scene.
“When we arrived there the second explosion took place. Then, we all dispersed. I took hold of the hand of one of the injured and took him,” he continued.
The hotel suffered 'great material damage' in the two blasts, Fatah reported.
Qamishli is a predominantly Kurdish city in northeast Syria, governed by both local Kurdish forces and the Syrian government.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had been in control of the city for nearly a decade until they withdrew as part of a Russia-brokered deal with Turkey, which launched Operation Peace Spring against the SDF in early October.
In the latest available figures, the Jazira canton's Health Committee put the death toll at 6, with 47 injured.
Local media initially reported three people died and five were injured in the blasts.
A large number of security forces had been deployed to the city since Monday morning, signaling that the forces may have had intelligence about the explosions, Fatah added.
SDF spokesperson Mustafa Bali tweeted a video purportedly showing the immediate aftermath of the explosions.
"The fight to exterminate Kurdish rights and existence is continuing. Carried out by the same power with different names. TFSA [Turkey Free Syrian Army], ISIS, Turkey are a de-facto coalition of anti-Kurdish campaign."
Bali's use of the TFSA acronym refers to the Free Syrian Army, with T for Turkey added to the commonly used FSA.
The fight to exterminate Kurdish rights and existence is continuing. Carried out by the same power with different names. TFSA, ISIS, Turkey are a de-facto coalition of anti-Kurdish campaign. pic.twitter.com/uOhRAHWSqx
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) November 11, 2019
As of yet, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosions.
Kanaan Barakat, co-chair of interior committee for the Jazira Region which includes Qamishli, told Rudaw that they suspect Islamic State (ISIS) to be behind the attack, adding that the group wants to “seek revenge on civilians” for the recent death of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Barakat added the “remotely-controlled car bombs” suspected to have been used in the blasts were primarily targeting civilians, though security force members are among the injured.
Investigations are underway to find more about the explosions, according to the local official.
Rojava Information Center, a monitoring group run by local volunteers, said a “smaller” explosion on Monday took place outside a Chaldean Catholic church.
The Syriac Military Council, a Christian group affiliated to the SDF, confirmed in a tweet that one of the explosions took place near the church.
This is a developing story
Updated at 7:41 pm
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment