Three Dead, 14 Others Injured, as Car Bomb Explodes in Idlib City

On October 21, 2018, three persons died, including a child, and 14 others were injured, among whom was a woman, as a car bomb exploded in the al-Qusour neighborhood, Idlib city. While the blast took place near a building of the Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham/HTS, no side has so far adopted the bombing. 

On October 22, 2018, the Idlib-based Ahmad Rahal, a local activist who bore witness to the blast’s very outset, told Syrians for Truth and Justice/STJ, the following:

 “At noon, a Pickup booby-trapped vehicle, probably a military one, exploded in the eastern side of the main street of the al-Qusour neighborhood, near the former Military Security Headquarters and a dozen meters from[1] the al-Rawdah Mosque. There was congestion in the street, for the explosion’s timing synced with that of the noon prayers, people were heading to the mosque, and school students’ departure time, thus causing several casualties. The explosion also caused massive damage to nearby buildings, the burning and uprooting of some of the street’s trees.” 

A hole in the street caused by a car bomb explosion in the al-Qusour neighborhood, Idlib city. Taken on: October 21, 2018. Photo credit: STJ.

According to Rahal, the explosion resulted in the death of two men and an 8-year-old boy, called Ahmad Abdulrahman Omar, in addition to the injury of 13 other persons, including a woman, who have all been rushed to the Al-Muhafaza Hospital, while another one was taken to the Clinics Hospital in a different area. 

A photo of a list with the names of the victims of the explosion that took place in the al-Qusour neighborhood, Idlib city, on October 21, 2018,  hung in the Al-Muhafaza Hospital, which received most of the injured persons. Photo credit: Activist Ahmad Rahal.

The blast took place 250 meters from the Ministry of Interior’s building of the Salvation Government, and another of the latter’s affiliated buildings, the activist reported, saying that it was unlikely that the explosion was targeting these two buildings, as it took place at the main street, not the one leading to them.

The site, where the explosion took place, is a civilian area and is void of military posts, he added.

The province of Idlib, controlled by armed opposition groups and HTS, has been a scene for several explosions, the perpetrators of some of which are still anonymous, while others were adopted by the organization referring to itself as the Islamic State/IS, Daesh.[2] Covering the explosions, which led to several casualties, STJ published various news reports. [3]