This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On October 11, 2019, a devastating car bomb attack shook the Kurdish town of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, leaving a trail of destruction and loss of life.
According to officials, the explosives-laden vehicle detonated in a busy neighborhood, killing three civilians and wounding nine others.
The attack occurred as Kurdish forces were pushing to hold off a massive cross-border assault by Turkey and its proxies.
"A car bomb targeted a restaurant at a time when civilians, including journalists who came to cover the offensive, were inside," the Kurdish internal security services, known as Asayish, said in a statement.
Security footage distributed by the Syrian Democratic Forces showed firemen trying to put out flames at the site of the blast, where at least five completely destroyed vehicles could be seen.
Qamishli has been hit by several car bomb attacks in recent months, usually claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.
Despite IS no longer controlling fixed positions in the area since an SDF-led operation eliminated the last bastion of the jihadist "caliphate" earlier this year, the group has conducted regular deadly operations in remote areas with bomb attacks carried out by sleeper cells.
