Terror attack kills 19 in former PKK/YPG stronghold of Syria's Manbij

At least 19 people have been killed and 15 others wounded in a terrorist attack in the Manbij district of Syria's Aleppo province, state media and hospital workers said.

A bomb-laden vehicle exploded on Monday at the southern entrance of Manbij, which is now under the control of the Syrian National Army (SNA).

The dead included 18 women and one man, a nurse at the hospital, Mohammad Ahmad, told The Associated Press. Another 15 women were wounded, some of them in critical condition, according to the local Syrian civil defence.

The wounded were taken to the surrounding hospitals, and there are concerns the death toll may rise.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but local security forces said the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation might have carried it out.

The liberation of Manbij marks a significant milestone in the SNA campaign against the PKK/YPG, with Türkiye’s backing delivering a decisive blow to the terror group west of the Euphrates River.

Liberated after a concerted operation, the northern Syrian town’s capture dismantled a major stronghold of the group, which had held the area since 2016. The liberation effort, dubbed Operation Dawn of Freedom, underscores the region’s importance.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK - listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and the EU - has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the terrorist group has attempted to exploit regional instability to create a "terror corridor" along the border with Türkiye.