Civilian killed in car bombing in Syria's Manbij

MANBIJ, SYRIA - JAN. 23, 2025: A car bomb attack in Manbij, Syria, killed at least one civilian and left seven others injured on Thursday (Jan. 23). The explosion also caused serious damage to the surrounding area. While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, local security forces suspect the involvement of the PKK/YPG terror organization. PKK/YPG terrorists have been launching attacks since Dec. 20 around the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River, located in the outskirts of Manbij. Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces, who cleared Manbij of terrorists on Dec. 9 as part of the Operation Dawn of Freedom, are responding to these attacks. In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU — has caused the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot. The PKK/YPG has sought to exploit the situation after the Assad regime’s fall to establish a “terrorist corridor” along the border with Türkiye. Bashar Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963. (Footage by Mutez Muhammed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)