Car bomb kills 13 in rebel-held northern Syrian town

A car bomb killed at least 13 people on Sunday night (June 2) near a mosque in a northern town held by Turkey-backed fighters, and wounded dozens of people, Syrian opposition activists said.

The blast in the town of Azaz occurred Sunday as scores of people were leaving the mosque of Maytam, wounding dozens including children, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory said the blast killed at least 14 people. It said the dead included four children.

The Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, reported at least 13 deaths, along with many others wounded. The blast occurred after the Iftar meal that breaks a daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The attack came a few days before Muslims celebrate the end of the holy moth with Eid el-Fitr, one of Islam’s most important feasts. The town, which was once controlled by rival Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey, has been hit by similar attacks in the past.