ISIS Car Bomb Targets Rival Rebels in Recently Captured Syrian Town

At Least 12 Wounded, Mostly Children

An ISIS suicide car bomb has targeted the town of al-Rai this afternoon, a town recently captured by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. Exact death tolls are as yet unclear, but several are reported to have been slain, and at least a dozen wounded, including a number of children.

The casualties are uncertain because unlike most such incidents in Syria, the victims weren’t taken to local hospitals, but rather were evacuated north into Turkey, where they are receiving treatment. Turkish officials have not offered an official statement yet.

Al-Rai was captured in the Turkish march south toward al-Bab, a city which is still under ISIS control, albeit contested. Turkish officials have said their intention is to capture al-Bab and then move eastward into Manbij, a major city controlled by the Kurdish YPG.

Turkish officials reported that ISIS also fired an unspecified “chemical” rocket at rebels in the same area outside of al-Rai, and that 22 rebels had been exposed to the chemical, though indications are that there weren’t serious casualties in the incident.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.