Omer Koparan and Selen Temizer
11 July 2019•Update: 11 July 2019
AFRIN, Syria/ANKARA
At least 11 civilians were killed and 45 others injured on Thursday when a bomb-laden tanker exploded in Afrin, northwestern Syria.
According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground, a bomb planted in a diesel fuel tanker was detonated in the Tirende area, south of the Afrin district center.
The fuel spreading around triggered a fire after the explosion.
Security forces are evaluating the possibility of a terrorist attack organized by the YPG/PKK.
Over the last three years, Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch anti-terror operations have liberated the region from YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes.
The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 people. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
*Writing by Burak Bir
