Car bombing kills 20 in northern Syria’s Manbij: Presidency
Al Jazeera1 day
Car Bomb Kills 20 in Northern Syria, Deadliest Since Government Toppled
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Above: A view of a burnt car after a terrorist attack at the Manbij district of Aleppo, Syria, on Jan. 19, 2025. Image copyright: Mutez Muhammed/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
A car bomb near the city of Manbij in northern Syria killed at least 20 people on Monday and wounded several others. The majority of victims were female agricultural workers who were traveling in a nearby vehicle when the blast occurred.
The bombing marks the seventh such attack in just over a month in the Manbij area, which has become a focal point of fighting between Turkish-backed armed factions and the Kurdish-dominated and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since the fall of the Assad government in December.
Syrian Pres. Ahmed al-Sharaa's office condemned the attack as a terrorist act, vowing severe punishment for the perpetrators and pledging to pursue accountability for the incident.
The Spin
Narrative A
The Turkish-backed opposition factions legitimately captured Manbij during Operation Dawn of Freedom from the People's Protect Units (YPG), which Turkey considers a terrorist organization linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The ongoing attacks in the region are attempts by the PKK to destabilize the area and retake control.
Narrative B
The SDF, as a legitimate US-backed force that helped defeat the Islamic State, seeks a decentralized, democratic Syria that preserves the rights of all ethnic groups. The group aims to be integrated into Syria's defense ministry while maintaining some autonomy for Kurdish authorities in the northeast. It has no interest in such attacks on civilians, and there is no evidence it was involved in this terrible crime.
