Car Bomb in Syrian Opposition-Held Town Kills at Least 3 People, Including Two Children

People gather around an ambulance at the scene of a bomb explosion in the norther Syrian city of Azaz, early on March 31, 2024. (AFP)
People gather around an ambulance at the scene of a bomb explosion in the norther Syrian city of Azaz, early on March 31, 2024. (AFP)
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Car Bomb in Syrian Opposition-Held Town Kills at Least 3 People, Including Two Children

People gather around an ambulance at the scene of a bomb explosion in the norther Syrian city of Azaz, early on March 31, 2024. (AFP)
People gather around an ambulance at the scene of a bomb explosion in the norther Syrian city of Azaz, early on March 31, 2024. (AFP)

A car bomb exploded in a busy market in a northern Syrian town controlled by Türkiye-based Syrian opposition fighters early Sunday, killing at least three people, rescue workers and a war monitor said.

The bomb exploded in the town of Aziz in Aleppo province. Volunteers with the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said the blast, just after midnight, killed two children and a woman.

The explosion that tore through the busy market also wounded five civilians and destroyed shops and homes in the area, the paramedic group said. First responders struggled to break through the large panicking crowds in the market, searching for casualties, clearing the wreckage, and putting out fires.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least eight people were killed and 23 wounded.

Türkiye has launched three major cross-border operations in Syria since 2016 and controls some Syrian territory in the north.



European Allies to Meet over Syria, Says Italy’s Foreign Ministry

 Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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European Allies to Meet over Syria, Says Italy’s Foreign Ministry

 Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Foreign ministers from Italy, France, Germany, Britain and the United States will meet this week over the situation in Syria, Italy said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will preside over the meeting Thursday with his European and US counterparts, the ministry wrote in a statement.

The US Department of State had announced Monday that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would meet European counterparts, calling it an occasion "to advocate for a peaceful, inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition".

Opposition forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive last month after 13 years of brutal war, with Western powers cautiously hoping for greater stability in Syria.

Italy's foreign ministry said Tajani sought the meeting "to take stock of the situation in Syria one month after the fall of the Assad regime".

On the agenda is the work of Syria's transitional government and the challenges posed by an upcoming national dialogue conference, it said.

Also to be discussed are the drafting of a new constitution and Syria's economic recovery.

In Rome, Blinken will join US President Joe Biden as he pays a farewell visit to Italy's capital that includes an audience with Pope Francis.