ANI
12 Nov 2019, 04:25 GMT+10
Damascus [Syria], Nov 12 (ANI): At least seven people were killed and 70 others sustained injuries when three car bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in the largely Kurdish city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria near the Turkish police.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's blasts, in which two car bombs exploded in a commercial district of the city, and a third detonated near a hotel, according to Syria's state news agency SANA.
The attacks came the same day an Armenian Catholic priest and his father were killed by unknown gunmen as they travelled to the eastern province of Deir Az Zor from Qamishli, where they were meant to inspect the restoration of a church, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killing, saying its fighter shot dead two priests. The Islamic State-linked Aamaq news agency posted a copy of the priest's identity card with his photo and name on it.
Islamic State had persecuted Christians and displaced tens of thousands of them when it ruled large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Christians made up about 10 per cent of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million.
Qamishli is located in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Syria's northeast. The area recently rekindled as a hotspot after US President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew American troops last month.
The withdrawal cleared the way for an offensive by the Turkish military attempting to establish a "safe zone" along the border and dispel members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers "terrorists".
The YPG led the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an important US ally in defeating ISIL in Syria.
Kurdish forces said Turkey's cross-border attack, which began on October 9, allowed some ISIL fighters to break out of Kurdish jails.
While the SDF declared in March that ISIL had been defeated in a final stand in the village of Baghouz, members have continued to claim deadly attacks in northeast and eastern Syria.
In July, ISIL said it was responsible for a massive truck bomb that killed at least 44 people in Qamishli.
An October 23 ceasefire deal between Turkey and Russia halted Ankara's campaign into Syria in exchange for Kurdish forces' withdrawal from areas along the Turkish border.
On Sunday, eight people were killed in a bomb blast to the southeast of the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, which Turkey captured in its military offensive last month. While no group claimed responsibility, Ankara blamed the attack on Kurdish fighters. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Belgium Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Belgium Sun.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy says new laws to regulate vaping products will help make them less attractive to young...
MADRID, Spain: A routine oversight by Spain's power grid operator, REE, has been identified as the trigger behind the large-scale blackout...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Egyptian authorities released Paul Murphy, TD, from the People Before Profit party after his second detention on June...
DUBLIN, Ireland: In a significant demonstration outside Leinster House in Dublin, hundreds of housing protesters voiced their frustration...
PARIS, France: The Paris Airshow kicked off on June 16, attracting attention with expected aircraft orders, but overshadowed by the...
BARCELONA/MADRID, Spain: With another record-breaking tourist season underway, thousands of residents across southern Europe marched...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Since taking office in December 2023, Argentine President Javier Milei has implemented sweeping austerity...
LEMBATA, Indonesia: Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted dramatically on June 18, generating substantial ash and smoke plumes....
MADRID, Spain: A routine oversight by Spain's power grid operator, REE, has been identified as the trigger behind the large-scale blackout...
WASHINGTON, DC - In a bid to defuse speculation, U.S. President Donald Trump says he will make his decision on whether to have the...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A quiet shift inside the Trump administration has stalled a key diplomatic initiative aimed at pushing Russia toward...
NEW DELHI, India: Indian investigators are examining the black boxes from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to determine the cause of a catastrophic...