A car bomb killed 20 people in northern Syria yesterday, authorities said, vowing to punish those behind the attack in an area where Kurdish-led forces and Turkish-backed factions have clashed for weeks.
The second such attack within days in Manbij comes amid talks between Syria’s new authorities, which are close to Ankara, and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over the group’s future.
“A treacherous terrorist bombing targeted civilians in Manbij city, killing 20 people,” the Syrian presidency said in a statement, following a preliminary death toll of 15 from rescuers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which the SDF has also condemned, and the presidency statement did not say who may be behind it.
“This crime will not pass without imposing the most severe of punishments on those responsible,” said the statement, vowing “to pursue and hold accountable” those involved.
The fighting in the Manbij area has raged despite efforts from SDF backer the United States to broker a ceasefire.
Turkiye, which opposes the SDF, is due to host Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa today for his second international visit since Bashar al-Assad’s toppling on December 8.
Turkish-backed factions launched attacks on Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria, seizing the strategic Tal Rifaat and Manbij pockets at around the same time as the rebel-led offensive that overthrew Assad.
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi condemned the attack yesterday in a post on X, saying that “those responsible must be held accountable”.
White Helmets rescuers earlier said women and children were among those killed in the Manbij car bombing that targeted agricultural workers on the city’s outskirts.
The rescuers published footage from the area online, showing first responders carrying people on stretchers as well as the wreckage of a vehicle by the side of the road.
On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said a car bomb in Manbij killed at least nine people including pro-Turkiye fighters.
President Sharaa’s visit to Turkiye follows a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as war-ravaged Syria seeks reconstruction funds from wealthy countries.
In Turkiye, Sharaa is set to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss “joint steps to be taken for economic recovery, sustainable stability and security”, Fahrettin Altun, head of communications at the presidency, said on X.
Turkiye has threatened a military operation against the SDF unless they accepted Ankara’s conditions for a “bloodless” transition after Assad’s fall.
Last month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said after talks in Ankara that his country will never allow its territory to be used as a staging ground for threats against Turkiye.
Turkiye has mounted multiple operations against the SDF since 2016, and Erdogan had repeatedly threatened to seize Kurdish-held areas in the north like Manbij.

A member of the White Helmets works in the aftermath of a car bomb explosion, in Manbij, Syria, yesterday, in this screen grab taken from a video.