Suicide Bombing in Bakery Kills at Least 16 in Northeastern Syria
At least 16 people, including three children and two women, were killed by a suicide bomb attack on a bakery in the city of Hassakeh on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) claimed the attack in an online statement, saying the bombing targeted the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia in the mostly Kurdish-controlled province of Hassakeh.
The YPG is part of a Western-backed offensive against ISIS near the Turkish border, and has pushed the group out of large swathes of territory in northeastern Syria over the past year. Hassakeh has been attacked by ISIS in the past, but the most recent bombing is the first of its kind in several months.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll is likely to rise, given the many serious injuries suffered by the victims of the attack.
Syrian Military Declares Nationwide Temporary Cease-Fire
The Syrian military announced on Wednesday afternoon that a 72-hour cease-fire had been implemented across Syria overnight, Reuters reported.
The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said on Wednesday “a regime of calm will be implemented across all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic” beginning at 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday until midnight on Friday, according to SANA, Syria’s state-run news agency.
The temporary cease-fire covers the three days of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which signifies the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
There is no sign yet that any of the opposition forces on the ground have agreed to this truce, with several reports of continued violence since the announcement.
Jaish al-Islam, a Syrian rebel group active in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus, told Reuters that government forces and their allies targeted one of the towns under their control, Maydaa, after the cease-fire came into force.
The previous nationwide cease-fire declared in February, which was meant to halt fighting with all groups, excluding al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS, has largely fallen apart. The cessation of hostilities was intended to promote the Geneva-based peace talks aimed at finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis, now in its sixth year.
Turkey Is Ready to Cooperate With ‘Everyone’ Against ISIS, Including Russia
Turkey has said it is open to cooperating with Russia when it comes to fighting ISIS in Syria, according to Radio Free Europe.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara is ready to “cooperate with everyone” in the struggle against the militant group in Syria. The Russian government immediately welcomed the statement from Turkey.
Turkey has already been working with several countries to combat ISIS, and has allowed certain states to use the Incirlik air base to launch attacks.
Cavusoglu added that even though Turkey “opened Incirlik air base for those who want to join the active fight against Daesh,” the proposed cooperation does not necessarily mean that Russian planes will be allowed to use the facility.
Both Turkey and Russia oppose ISIS, but they back different actors in the Syrian conflict. Moscow supports the Syrian regime, while Ankara lends its support to opponents of the Syrian government. But the recent thaw in Ankara-Moscow relations comes after months of tension in which Russia cut off almost all economic ties with Turkey, even banning tourists from going to Turkey.
Last week, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret for the pilot killed when his country shot down a Russian warplane that had flown over its territory in November.
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