A car bomb attack in northern Syria’s Manbij killed at least 20 people, according to the Syrian presidency, marking the deadliest assault since the ousting of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Qatar has issued a strong condemnation following a car bomb attack in Manbij, northern Syria, which killed at least 20 people and left dozens injured.
The blast, described by Syrian authorities as the deadliest since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December 2024, went off on the outskirts of the city, targeting a vehicle carrying agricultural workers.
In a statement, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry denounced the act, reiterating the nation’s “firm stance against terrorism and criminal acts, irrespective of motives”.
It expressed solidarity with Syria and support for measures to ensure stability, while extending condolences to victims’ families and the Syrian government.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s office labelled the incident a “terrorist” act, vowing accountability: “This crime will not pass without the strongest punishment for its perpetrators, so they become an example for anyone who considers compromising Syria’s security.”
According to the Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets), the attack killed 15 people, including 11 women and 3 children, and injured 18 others, among them 13 women and 5 girls, with some in critical condition.
Jameel al-Sayyed, a Manbij activist and journalist, told the Associated Press that the recurring attacks have forced residents to become more vigilant.
“There are efforts from the people of Manbij to focus on protecting some neighbourhoods as well as setting up surveillance cameras in the main neighbourhoods of the city,” al-Sayyed said.
Manbij, a strategic city near the Turkish border, has endured shifting control during Syria’s 13-year conflict.
Turkish-backed forces seized it from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in December 2024.
The SDF, without evidence, accused Turkish-backed factions of involvement in Monday’s bombing, a claim Turkey rejects, branding the SDF as linked to “terrorist” groups, as reported by Reuters.
President al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit Turkey later this week, amid ongoing tensions over regional security and governance, as reported by Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Monday.