AL-BAB, Syria

At least five civilians were killed and 18 others injured in a bomb blast in northern Syria on Tuesday.

Attackers detonated an explosive-laden vehicle in al-Bab district of Aleppo province, causing multiple casualties, according to Anadolu Agency reporters on the ground.

Apart from the casualties, material damage was also reported in the area.

Local security forces are evaluating the possibility that the YPG/PKK terror group might be behind the attack in the city located near Turkey’s southern border.

The YPG/PKK terror group, attacking from Syria's adjacent Tal Rifaat and Manbij regions, often targets Jarabulus, Azaz, Afrin, and al-Bab.

Turkish troops and the Syrian National Army liberated al-Bab from the Daesh/ISIS terror group in February 2017 as part of Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield.

The seven-month operation was launched in August 2016 to eliminate terrorists hiding out in areas along the Turkish border.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara