2017 Aleppo suicide car bombing
| 2017 Aleppo suicide car bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Syrian Civil War | |
.svg) | |
| Location | Aleppo, Syria |
| Date | 15 April 2017 |
| Weapons | Car bomb |
| Deaths | 126+[1] |
| Injured | 55+ |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
On 15 April 2017, a car bomb detonated near a convoy of buses in al-Rashideen area,[2] west of Aleppo which carried civilian evacuees from the besieged government-controlled towns of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya.[3] The bombing killed at least 126 people.[4]
Background
The buses were transporting evacuees as part of an agreement brokered between the Syrian government, Iran, and Qatar (representing rebel fighters) and implemented by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.[5] Under the terms of the evacuation deal, residents of the Shia communities of Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya, which supported the Assad government[6] and were surrounded by Sunni fighters, would be transported to Aleppo.[5] In return, anti government fighters in Madaya and Al-Zabadani would be transported to the Idlib province.[5]
Bombing
The attack took place in the Rashideen district, just west of the city of Aleppo, at about 15:30 local time.[7] According to journalists, the bomb was in a car that parked and began distributing food near the front of a convoy of buses that were stopped at a checkpoint to move injured refugees.[7][8]
Early reports indicated that only a few dozen people had been killed,[9] but the confirmed death toll rose to 126 by the following day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.[7] The Observatory said that 109 of the dead were refugees, including 68 children, with the remainder rebel fighters and aid workers,[7] though a spokesman for the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group said that about 30 of its members were killed.[10] According to the White Helmets civil defense group, 55 people were injured.[11]
Perpetrator
The perpetrator of this bombing was unclear. According to Syrian state television, the civilians of Fuaa and Kafriya supported the government during the siege of the towns, and the rebels were responsible for the bombing. According to opposition activists, the bombing was conducted by the government on its own civilians to divert attention from the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack.[12]
Reactions
United Nations – UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres requested that all parties guarantee the security of those waiting to be evacuated and added that "Those responsible for today’s attack must be brought to justice".[13]
The Holy See - Pope Francis condemned the bombing during his Easter Sunday address, calling it a "vile attack on fleeing refugees".[7]
See also
- Siege of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya for background on the evacuation and a previous attack on evacuation buses
- 2015 Zabadani cease-fire agreement for the four-town evacuation agreement that the buses were part of
- List of bombings during the Syrian Civil War
References
- ^ "Syria evacuees bomb attack death toll rises to 112: monitor". AFP. 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Dozens killed after bomb explodes near Aleppo evacuation bus convoy". CBC News. 15 April 2017.
- ^ "Syria war: Huge bomb kills dozens of evacuees in Syria". BBC News. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Death toll from Aleppo bus convoy bomb attack at least 126: Observatory". Reuters. 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ^ a b c "More Than 7,000 People Evacuated From 4 Besieged Syrian Towns". The New York Times. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ al-Kurdi, Anas. "Syrian regime forces 'lost stomach to retake Idlib'". alaraby.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Syria war: 'At least 68 children among 126 killed' in bus bombing". BBC News Online. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Aleppo blast: Syrian evacuation convoy targeted". Al-Jazeera. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Dozens Killed as Blast Strikes Convoy Carrying Evacuated Syrians". The New York Times. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ El Deeb, Sarah; Issa, Philip. "Over 100 killed during Syria's troubled population transfer". stltoday.
- ^ "Syria: 126 killed as bomb hits buses with evacuees, group says". CNN. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ Sanchez, Raf. "Dozens killed as suicide bomber hits convoy of civilians evacuating besieged Syrian towns". Telegraph. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; Damien Gayle, Damien. "Deadly Aleppo suicide attack kills 100 in evacuation operation". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
