Bomb attack on Syrian refugee camp kills at least 20

By Khaled Suleiman

IDLIB, Syria

At least 20 people were killed and scores injured Thursday by a bomb attack claimed by Daesh on a refugee camp near the Turkish border, local sources told Anadolu Agency.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, said that the attack on the Atma refugee camp in the northwestern province of Idlib took place during a Free Syrian Army (FSA) patrol shift change.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack through social media.

According to an eyewitness speaking to Anadolu Agency by phone, a suicide bomber came into the camp unobserved at an FSA checkpoint before detonating his explosive vest.

The lightly injured were taken to nearby field hospitals while those with severe injuries were transferred to hospitals in Turkey.

The camp is not part of the region covered by Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield, launched last month to bolster security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat – including Daesh – along Turkey’s border, using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery, and jets.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research, a Beirut-based NGO, has put the total death toll from the five-year conflict at more than 470,000.