A car bomb has exploded on the outskirts of a city in northern Syria, killing at least 19 people and leaving more than a dozen wounded, according to hospital and emergency workers.
Eighteen women and one man were killed, a nurse at the local hospital, Mohammad Ahmad, told the Associated Press.
Another 15 women were wounded, some critically, according to the local civil defence.
No group immediately claimed the blast that occurred next to a vehicle carrying agricultural workers on the outskirts of Manbij.
It was the seventh car bombing in Manbij in recent weeks, said Munir Mustafa, the deputy director of civil defence, warning that the attacks near Syria’s second city are a threat to efforts to bring about post-war security and economic recovery.
Manbij in north-eastern Aleppo province continues to see violence two months after the fall of President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive.
Turkish-backed factions known as the Syrian National Army have clashed with the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The Syrian National Army took the city from the SDF in early December during the insurgency.
Not long after accusations against the Syrian Democratic Forces surfaced on social media, the SDF in a statement condemned Monday’s attack and accused Ankara-backed groups of possibly being involved with the aim of causing more strife in Syria.
The statement said the SDF will communicate with Syria’s new interim government in Damascus to investigate.
In a statement, Syria’s presidency said “the perpetrators will face the harshest penalties to serve as a lesson to anyone who dares to threaten Syria’s security or harm its people”.
Another car bombing in Manbij on Saturday killed four civilians and wounded nine, state news agency Sana reported, citing civil defence officials.
The attacks have forced residents to become more vigilant, one said.
“There are efforts from the people of Manbij to focus on protecting some neighbourhoods as well as setting up surveillance cameras in the main neighbourhoods,” said Jameel al-Sayyed, an activist and journalist.
