ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated on Monday in northeast Syria's (Rojava) eastern Hasaka province, killing one of its perpetrators and injuring the other, the Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) reported.
In a statement, the Asayish said “a motorcycle rigged for explosion detonated on Monday morning at the al-Hadadiya bridge in the al-Arisha area,” located in the northern part of al-Shaddadi district in southern Hasaka.
"The explosion resulted in the death of one of the riders and the injury of the other, who was subsequently transported to a hospital for treatment," the statement read.
The Asayish further noted that “preliminary investigations revealed that the motorcycle had been booby-trapped with TNT, concealed under the engine cover on the right side. It also contained pieces of metal and a flammable phosphorescent material.”
The phosphorescent substance reportedly ignited unexpectedly, causing the bomb to detonate prematurely - before the intended target could be reached.
The Kurdish-led internal security forces said they swiftly “cordoned off the blast site and collected evidence, while investigations are underway to identify those behind the attempted bombing and determine the operation’s objective.”
Importantly, the attack comes only days after a similar assault saw an unidentified gunman open fire at members of the Asayish in north-central Syria’s Raqqa province on Wednesday, the Asayish reported, noting that the attacker and two civilians were killed in the incident.
Importantly, the attack comes just days after a similar assault in which an unidentified gunman opened fire on members of the Asayish in Syria’s north-central Raqqa province, the Kurdish-led internal security forces reported Wednesday, noting that the attacker and two civilians were killed in the incident.
“A person riding a motorcycle targeted one of our forces' checkpoints in the town of al-Karama, east of Raqqa, randomly firing a Kalashnikov rifle. Our forces immediately responded to the source of gunfire, neutralizing the attacker on the spot. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of two civilians, with no casualties among our members,” the Asayish then relayed.
While no group has claimed responsibility for either attack, such incidents are often attributed to remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS), which has been escalating its operations in eastern Syria.
These areas are largely under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the Asayish is a security affiliate.
Since its territorial defeat in Syria in 2019, ISIS has been trying to regain its strength, particularly after a coalition of opposition groups - led by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - in early December toppled the regime of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.