On July 19th 2020, a car bomb explosion in Syria’s Azaz left at least 5 dead and 85 wounded.
The attack occurred in the village of Siccu, close to the Turkish border.
Other outlets also reported a further two ‘unidentified persons’ killed in the explosion.
The attack was said to have come just days after Turkey launched raids and arrests of Islamic State members in their areas of control.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) records casualties (i.e. people killed and injured) from explosive violence around the world as reported in English-language news sources.
AOAV has consistently found that when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, over 90% of the casualties are likely to be civilians.
Whilst Syria remained the country worst impacted by explosive weapons last year, casualties decreased by about one quarter, compared to the previous year; with 9,587 civilian casualties recorded in 2018 to 7,256 last year.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were responsible for 1,548 civilian casualties in Syria in 2019, accounting for 21% of total civilian casualties from explosive violence in the country.
AOAV calls for states and international organisations to work collaboratively to generate greater awareness of the number of civilians killed and injured each year by IEDs, and encourage a greater stigma from political, religious and social leaders on the use of IEDs. There is an urgent need for preventative measures to be implemented by States and the international community.
Did you find this story interesting? Please support AOAV's work and donate.
Donate