At least 44 are dead after an attack Wednesday on the town of Qamishli in north-eastern Syria, a hospital official said.
“The initial number of the victims of the blast that targeted the eastern district of the town also includes 140 injuries, while there are still dead bodies under the debris [that have not been retrieved yet],” Qamishli National Hospital Director Omar Al-Qaqoub said.
A car bomb targeting the Justice Department and Kurdish internal security force in the town located in al-Hasaka province, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Activists in the area said a truck laden with explosives blew up at the entrance of the street housing the headquarters of the Asayish forces, killing and wounding mainly civilians, as well as inflicting heavy material damage.
Earlier reports said there were two bombings. But there were no immediate details on the other blast.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for one of the two bombings, saying that a suicide bomber driving a booby-trapped truck targeted the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) headquarters in Qamishli.
The claim was made via its mouthpiece, the Aamaq News Agency, on the Telegram messaging app.
YPG controls swathes of north-eastern Syria, including most of al-Hasaka province.
The extremist group cited a security source as saying 100 were killed in the blast and dozens others were wounded.
