Azaz Marketplace Car Bombing (2017)
The Azaz Marketplace Car Bombing occurred on January 7, 2017, in the town of Azaz, Syria, near the Turkish border. This tragic incident involved a truck bomb that detonated close to a courthouse and a busy market, resulting in the deaths of at least forty-eight people and injuring around 140 others. The attack was attributed to the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by Turkish authorities, although ISIS did not officially claim responsibility for the bombing. This event marked the first major attack following a ceasefire agreement supported by Russia and Turkey in late 2016.
At the time, control of Azaz was contested, with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) holding the town after it was previously taken by ISIS. The bombing was seen as part of the broader context of the ongoing Syrian Civil War, which has involved multiple factions, including rebel groups and ISIS, and has led to significant humanitarian crises in the region. The attack highlighted the continued instability in northern Syria and the challenges faced by both local authorities and international efforts to stabilize the area.
Subject Terms
Azaz Marketplace Car Bombing (2017)
Date: January 7, 2017
Place: Azaz, Syria
Summary
The Azaz marketplace bombing was a terrorist attack targeting a public market on the border of Turkey and Syria, killing at least forty-eight and wounding dozens more. Local authorities blamed the attack on the Syrian terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Key Events
- January 7, 2017—Car bomb near a courthouse in Azaz, Syria, kills at least forty-eight at a nearby market.
Status
As of March 2017, Turkish authorities maintained that ISIS is the most likely culprit behind the bomb attack on the Azaz market. The Syrian government has not announced any arrests or suspects connected to the incident. Control of the city of Azaz is still highly contested and the Turkish government is continuing to fund rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in an effort to control their borders. In addition, as part of a broader effort to control ISIS, Turkey has backed rebel forces advancing on the ISIS-controlled city of al-Bab, about 30 miles southwest of Azaz.
In-Depth Overview
The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 after a series of protests against President Bashar al-Assad resulted in a violent government response, after which anti-government forces organized into a number of rebel militias all across the country. Among the most powerful of the anti-government groups was the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which captured the strategically important city of Aleppo and surrounding territories shortly after the war began. The civil war ignited long-standing sectarian tensions in many parts of the country. Kurdish separatist groups in the north, who had already been fighting the government for decades in an effort to win greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority in Syria, took advantage of the civil war to force the government from several territories in the Kurdish portion of the nation, along its northern border with Turkey. In addition, a number of radical Islamist organizations, including Hezbollah and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), became active players in the conflict. While ISIS functions as a terrorist organization in most of the world, in Syria ISIS has become a paramilitary organization and has openly engaged the Syrian government, as well as more moderate rebel groups, in an effort to capture key cities. Meanwhile, the Syrian conflict has also been described as a proxy war, with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, the United States, and the United Kingdom supporting anti-government forces, and Russia and Iran supporting the Assad government.
The town of Azaz, which is approximately 20 miles from Aleppo along the Turkey-Syria border, was captured by ISIS in 2013, but ISIS was forced to withdraw after several months under pressure from other rebel groups. The town was then captured by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and has since remained in rebel control, though ISIS has attempted to take control of Azaz on several occasions. In an effort to keep both ISIS and Kurdish separatist forces from its borders, the Turkish government provides military and financial support for the FSA.
On January 7, 2017, at around 11:40 a.m. local time, a truck outfitted with explosives crashed through a rebel checkpoint in Azaz and detonated near a courthouse and grocery market. It was the first major attack to occur since a Russian- and Turkish-backed cease-fire went into effect in December 2016; police in Azaz said they believed the bomber's intention was to target employees of the local courts. The most authoritative reports said forty-eight were killed, although some estimates put the number of dead around sixty, after a number of critically wounded victims succumbed to their wounds following the attack. Speaking to reporters, human rights activist Rami Abdurrahman said that at least six of those killed were rebel fighters. A few of the more critically wounded were reportedly taken to the Turkish city of Kilis for emergency treatment. Jumaa Rahhal, from the local health ministry, told reporters that at least 140 people had been wounded in the attack. Officials on the scene noted that the blast covered a broad area, and it was later determined that the bomber used a modified fuel or water truck in the attack, which accounted for the size of the blast.
The Turkish government issued a statement attributing the attack to ISIS, though the organization did not officially claim responsibility and no direct evidence was presented to connect ISIS to the bombing. The attack occurred several hours after the Turkish government conducted a series of air strikes against ISIS targets, killing at least twenty-one.
Key Figures
Rami Abdurrahman: Head of UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Bashar al-Assad: President of Syria.
Jumaa Rahhal: Local health official in Azaz.
Bibliography
El Deeb, S. (2017, January 7). Isis suspected after tanker bomb "kills at least 48" in Syrian border town of Azaz. TheIndependent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-civil-war-latest-bombing-azaz-car-bomb-kill-19-dead-a7514641.html
Elwazer, S., and Kourdi, E. (2017, January 7). Deadly car bomb rocks rebel-held Syrian city, activists say. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/07/middleeast/syria-violence/
Loveluck, L. (2017, January 7). Dozens killed in northern Syrian town as truck bomb rips through busy market. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/dozens-dead-in-northern-syria-as-car-bomb-rips-through-busy-market/2017/01/07/a25cc71c-d4d3-11e6-945a-76f69a399dd5‗story.html
Syria conflict: Bomb kills dozens in Azaz on Turkish border. (2017, January 7). BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38542142
Tanker bomb kills 48 in Syria's border town Azaz. (2017, January 7). Hindustan Times. Retrieved from http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/tanker-bomb-kills-atleast-43-in-syria-s-azaz-monitor/story-K23TeVI6YFiWoEP0roSOxL.html