Bomb car kills 43 in Azaz near Syrian-Turkish border

At least 43 people were killed – 60, according to some estimates – and scores injured by a car bomb that was detonated Saturday outside a courthouse in the Syrian-rebel held town of Azaz, just 7 km from the Turkish border. This was the deadliest attack in Syria since the Russian-Turkish-brokered ceasefire went into effect eight days ago and is mostly holding.

DEBKAfile: Azaz has been targeted before by Islamic State terrorists as a stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army. Its fighters, trained by the Turkish army, have for the past month been fighting with Turkish forces to drive ISIS out of the important northern Syrian town of Al-Bab, 48km south of Azaz.