TRUCK, MOTORCYCLE BOMBING KILLS 44 IN KURDISH TOWN
A twin bombing struck a crowd in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria on Wednesday, killing 44 people and wounding dozens more, Syria’s state- run news agency and Kurdish media reported. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack.
Media reports said a truck loaded with large quantities of explosives blew up on the western edge of the town of Qamishli, followed by an explosives- packed motorcycle a few minutes later in the same area. The blasts caused massive damage in the area and rescue teams were working to recover victims from under the rubble, the SANA news agency said.
Qamishli, near the Turkish border, is mainly controlled by Kurds but Syr- ian government forces are present and control the town’s airport.
Syrian state TV broadcast footage showing people running away from a mushroom of grey smoke rising over the town and others running amid wrecked or burnt cars.
Wednesday’s explosion came as U.S.-backed Kurdish forces pressed ahead with their offensive to take the ISIL-held town of Manbij.