Suicide truck bomb kills dozens in Syria

A large truck-bomb blast claimed by ISIS killed nearly 50 people and wounded scores more in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli near the Turkish border on Wednesday, a monitoring group and state television reported.

The attack, which hit near a Kurdish security-forces headquarters, killed at least 48 people with the death toll expected to rise, the Observatory said. State media put the death toll at 44.

Kurdish forces control much of Hasaka province, after capturing vast areas from the jihadist group last year. The Kurdish YPG militia, which has proved the most effective partner for a US-led coalition battling the Islamic State, is also involved in fighting the extremists farther west, in Aleppo province.

ISIS claimed responsibility for what it said was a suicide truckbomb attack and added that it targeted Kurdish security forces. The group has carried out a number of bombings in Qamishli.

State TV rolled footage purportedly from the scene of one blast, showing large-scale damage to buildings, rubble strewn across the road and plumes of smoke.

The explosion was so powerful that it shattered the windows of shops in the Turkish town of Nusaybin, across the border. Two people were slightly hurt in Nusaybin, a witness said.

The YPG is involved in a US-backed offensive that has advanced against jihadists.