At least three people were killed early Sunday in a car bomb explosion at a bustling market in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-based Syrian opposition fighters, according to rescuers and a group monitoring the war.
The bomb exploded in the town of Azaz in Aleppo province. Syrian Civil Defense volunteers, also known as White Helmets, said two children and a woman had been killed in the detonation that occurred after midnight
The blast that rocked the busy market also wounded five civilians and destroyed stores and homes in the area, according to the paramedic group. Rescuers struggled to make their way through the terrified crowd in the market, search for victims, clear debris and put out fires.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack at first.
For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based group that monitors the war, reported at least eight dead and 23 wounded.
Turkey has conducted three major cross-border operations in Syria since 2016 and controls part of Syrian territory in the north.