Explosion at base for foreign fighters in Syria's Idlib kills 23

Explosion at base for foreign fighters in Syria's Idlib kills 23
A large explosion at a Syrian rebel base dominated by foreign fighters has killed at least 23 people, a monitor has said.
2 min read
08 January, 2018
Idlib has constantly come under attack by regime forces and militant groups (Getty)
An explosion at a base for foreign fighters in rebel-held Idlib province, northern Syria on Sunday killed at least 23 people, including seven civilians, a monitor said.

Among those dead included jihadi fighters from Caucasus or Asian states. The Muslim Uighur from China and Caucusian jihadis make up a large proportion of the foreign fighters in Idlib province.

"A large explosion on Sunday evening hit the base of the Ajnad al-Qawqaz faction in Idlib," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said that most of the non-civilian casualties were fighters were from the group.

It is not clear what caused the blast, but activists on social media said a car bomb was responsible.

Dozens of people were wounded, particularly fighters, according to Abdel Rahman who said the base was "almost completely destroyed" and that nearby buildings were damaged.

The Ajnad al-Qawqaz group includes hundreds of Caucasian fighters and is battling alongside the Fatah al-Sham Front, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, to repel a Syrian regime advance in the south-east of Idlib province.

The area has seen intense clashes following a regime offensive looking at taking a vital highway running between Damascus and second city Aleppo.

The UK-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists across Syria, said regime forces had seized more than 60 villages in the area since 25 December in Hama and towards Idlib, the only province almost completely held by rebels.

An alliance dominated by Fatah al-Sham controls much of Idlib province where there are regular car bombings, often blamed on disputes between armed factions.

Some residents blame the Islamic State group for such attacks, although the group has no open presence in the province.