The bomb-laden vehicle exploded in the northern Syrian city of Afrin, leaving dozens of casualties in its wake, a Kurdish source told Sputnik.
"The car exploded in the al-Hal market. According to our data, dozens of civilians were wounded," the source stated.
According to the source, another vehicle loaded with an explosive device was found in the western part of Afrin.
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Reizan Hedu, a Kurdish politician, told Sputnik later in the day that militants supported by the Turkish authorities were behind the attack.
"Explosions at markets and streets of the city are organized by terrorists. The responsibility lies with the Turkish army and groups allied with it," Hedu said.
He noted that this kind of terror attacks came as a result of attempts by various groups to divide spheres of influence among each other.
Until this year, the Syrian city of Afrin has been under control of Kurdish forces. However, as a result of the Turkish military operation dubbed the Olive Branch, the Kurdish forces have been forced out. Later, the Turkish military has handed over control over the city to the local police forces.
The mentioned Turkish military operation has been launched on January 20, with the support of the Free Syrian Army opposition forces. The goal of the operation was to clear Turkey's Syrian border of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which Turkey believes to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Both YPG and PKK are considered terrorist organizations by Ankara.
Damascus has condemned the operation as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
