Bomb blast kills 7 civilians, four rebels in Afrin

ISTANBUL: A bomb blast in a four-storey building in the town of Afrin in northwest Syria killed seven civilians and four Free Syrian Army members overnight, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.

The explosion hit after the Syrian rebels swept into the town with Turkish forces on Sunday, declaring full control after an eight-week campaign to drive out Kurdish YPG forces.

Anadolu said the bomb, which it described as planted by terrorists, exploded as the Syrian fighters conducted a search.

It ripped out a hole four metres (4.37 yards) deep and badly damaged other buildings and vehicles, it said. A spokesman for the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army rebels said on Sunday they had entered Afrin before dawn, meeting no resistance.

A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said some YPG fighters defied orders to withdraw, but Turkish forces were in control.

Full story @ timesofoman.com/world