ERBIL, Kurdistan Region-—Three people are said to have been injured due to a motorcycle bombing in the Salihyah neighborhood of Hasakah on Thursday morning.
This follows a car bomb explosion which left at least five people dead in a busy market in the Turkish-controlled enclave of Afrin, also on Thursday.
According to Rudaw's reporter on the ground, a motorcycle laden with bombs exploded in the area at 11:30 local time.
The motorcycle targeted a pick-up truck carrying Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters.
The motorcycle also damaged a nearby minibus. As a result, one SDF member was reportedly injured, in addition to two civilians. The injuries, however, are not said to be serious.
Hawar News, media close to the Kurdish forces in Northern Syria reported 4 civilians injured, in addition to a “military member” of an unknown force. The outlet that the four were all IDPs from border town of Darbasiyah who had recently arrived into Hasaka.
According to local security elements, a suspect has been detained.
Kurdish internal security forces (Asayish) say they don't know who is responsible for the attack. However, many have warned of retaliatory attacks due to killing of Islamic State group (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
On Sunday morning, October 27, a US-special forces raid into Baghdadi’s compound ended up with the self-declared caliph detonating a suicide vest, killing himself and three children.
According to US and Syrian Kurdish officials and Syrian Kurdish officials, Kurdish forces in Syria played a critical role in the intelligence gathered for tracking the ISIS leader and the planning of the operation itself.
Their participation in the operation that may have prompted Kurdish forces to be on high alert.
ISIS may look to increase its activities amid the ongoing Turkish incursion into Northern Syria, which has distracted Kurdish forces from continuing their operations and activities across areas where ISIS sleeper cells may be active. Several ISIS members managed to escape a prison following a decreased security presence.
Hasakah has been relatively safe, with IDPs escaping the Turkish incursion fleeing to the area.
