At least two civilians were wounded after a bomb-laden motorcycle exploded in Syria’s northern Afrin on Wednesday.
The explosion took place on a busy street in the center of Afrin and it also damaged surrounding buildings.
Local security forces, who conducted investigations at the scene, suspected the attack was carried out by the YPG/PKK terrorist organization.
The YPG/PKK, which has occupied Tal Rifaat, has been carrying out attacks in Afrin, Azaz, al-Bab, and Jarabulus.
Afrin had been a major stronghold for the YPG/PKK since July 2012, when the Bashar Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terrorist group without putting up a fight. In order to end the terrorist group’s oppression of local people, Türkiye cleared the area of PKK-affiliated terrorists in a cross-border counterterrorism operation.
Local people living in areas held by the YPG/PKK have long suffered from its atrocities, as the terrorist organization has a notorious record of human rights abuses, ranging from kidnappings, recruitment of child soldiers, torture, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement in Syria.
The U.S. has primarily partnered with the YPG/PKK in northern Syria in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group. Türkiye strongly opposes the YPG’s presence in northern Syria, which has been a major sticking point in strained Ankara-Washington relations. The U.S. has provided military training and thousands of truckloads of weaponry to the YPG, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns.
In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
