MANBIJ, Syria/ISTANBUL 

A series of terrorist attacks have killed at least 28 civilians, including women and children, and injured 45 others in Manbij in northern Syria since late December.

The attacks followed the clearance of the PKK/YPG terrorist organization from Manbij as part of the Syrian National Army’s (SNA) Operation Dawn of Freedom. Despite the operation, Manbij remains a target of terrorists.

Civilians, primarily women and children, have been among the casualties. Civilian areas, including kindergartens and shops, were targeted in eight attacks.

The first attack came on Dec. 24 when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded in Manbij, killing two people and injuring two others. Three days later, another car bombing struck near the Grand Mosque, but no casualty figures were released.

On Dec. 31, a mortar attack targeted a village near the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River, killing a woman and a child. The same day, a landmine planted by PKK/YPG terrorists exploded near the dam, killing a driver.

A rocket attack on Jan. 21 hit a residential area in Tal Arsh village, killing two civilians and injuring five others. Local sources attributed the attack to PKK/YPG terrorists positioned near the Tishrin Dam.

Two days later, on Jan. 23, another car bombing in Manbij’s southern countryside killed one civilian and injured seven others.

Deadliest attacks in February

On Feb. 1, a bomb-laden vehicle exploded near a kindergarten in Al-Rabita Street, killing three civilians and wounding 15 others. No group claimed responsibility, but local security forces suspect the PKK/YPG terrorists.

A Feb. 3 attack, the deadliest so far, killed 17 civilians and injured 16 others when another car bomb exploded. Many of the victims were children and female agricultural workers.

Residents voice fear, call for help

Khalid Denkez, a local resident, said: “Civilians are constantly being killed. The civilian population is suffering. They keep sending car bombs. They have no fear of God.”

Speaking to Anadolu, Muhammed Assaf, another resident, recalled the Feb. 1 attack, pointing to drawings on a kindergarten’s walls. “These pictures were meant to bring joy to children. Now, they have become images of sorrow,” he said.

Assaf said Manbij residents are trying to leave. “We have no safe place left. Where can people go safely? They are taking their belongings and leaving.”

Calling for international intervention, Assaf urged the UN and the global community to help Manbij. “Are we forgotten, ignored people?” he asked.