Car Bomb Explodes in Northern Syria Town Killing 12 Dead and Wounding Others

A car bomb killed 12 and wounded several others Saturday in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkish-backed opposition fighters, Turkey's Defense Ministry said.

According to The Aleppo Media Center, the blast took place in a busy part of town near a bus station. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Over the past month, northern Syria has been hit by multiple explosions that have killed and wounded many people.

The increase in bombings started after Turkey began its military action against Kurdish fighters following President Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from northern Syria.

That sudden decision meant removing US military units based along a swathe of land which has served as a buffer zone between Turkey and Syrian Kurds.

Six people were also killed Monday after three car bombs went off in the northeastern Syrian town of Qamishli near the border with Turkey, according to Syria's state news agency SANA.

A car bomb killed 13 people on Nov. 2 in the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad, which is also held by Turkey-backed opposition fighters.

The Turkish offensive has made an effort to push Kurdish fighters away from the border. Those Kurdish fighters had been US allies in the fight against ISIS.

Syrian Kurdish fighters are considered to be terrorists by Turkey and linked to a Kurdish rebellion within Turkey.

Turkish forces have control over a stretch of the border running 70 miles wide and 20 miles deep into Syria.

They have also maintained forces outside that area, fighting with Kurdish troops on the edges.

Syrian government forces and their Russian allies relocated into other parts of the border area under a Turkish-Russian deal.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a deal to end the Turkish invasion of northeast Syria and divide the spoils.

The deal also allows Turkey to control the land it invaded, calls for joint Turkish-Russian patrols and for the Syrian regime to fill the vacuum of Kurdish held areas. 

Russia's involvement suggests that the decision by President Trump to pull out US forces is likely to have consequences far beyond the Middle East.