Over forty people were killed Friday in a Syrian village after a car bomb blasted at a security checkpoint controlled by rebels backed by Turkey and fighting under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) banner.
A day before the rebels had driven Islamic State from three towns including al-Bab following weeks of street fighting. This was the last stronghold of the jihadist group in the area.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility of the attack.
The Britain-based war monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said 42 people were killed in the attack in the village of Sousian, which is about five miles northwest of al-Bab.
The high civilian casualties was due to many families gathered at the checkpoint to get back to al-Bab, where a mine bomb killed several Turkey-backed rebels a day before while clearing the town of unexploded ordnance following the retreat of the ISIS.
A rebel fighter said, “There are still lots of cells inside Bab. It is very dangerous. Our search and clear operation is still underway.”
Following the regain of al-Bab territory, the Turkish forces is also learned to have shelled the ISIS militants in the Tadef neighboring town.
The Syrian army controls south of Tadef.
