The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack in Qamishli city, affiliated to the al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria. The attack resulted in deaths and injuries.

On Friday, 11 October 2019, Amaq news agency, an IS-affiliated outlet, announced IS’ responsibility for detonating a car in Qamishli city.

The agency reported that the explosion occurred near a security center in the western neighborhood of the city.

The Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish/ISF), for its part, stated that the car bomb attack targeted Al-Omari restaurant, located in the densely populated Munir Habib Street in Qamishli. The car bomb blast took a toll on three civilians while nine others sustained wounds of varying severity.

In early August, three consecutive explosions hit al-Hasakah, rendering one civilian dead and injuring many others.

The ISF, at that time, accused the IS of the three bombings, saying that IS’ objective is to “disturb security and effect a climate of fear and panic among citizens.”

The car bomb blast comes at a time when the Turkish Armed Forces and the National Army (NA) are conducting a military operation against the People’s Protection Units (YPG), in northeastern Syria, east of Euphrates.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced the start of a military operation, code-named Operation ‘Peace Spring’ in northeast Syria. The aim of the operation is to create a safe zone and put an end to the presence of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its primary component the People’s Protection Units, defined as a Terrorist Organization by Turkey.

SDF threatened a resurgence of the IS fighters in the region if Turkey still moves forward with its operation.

In fact, the IS always adopts responsibility for the bombings in the east of the Euphrates, targeting the SDF forces in the area.