Suicide Bomber Kills 42 Near Syria Town Taken From IS

A suicide bomber attacked Turkish-backed rebels just outside the Syrian town of Al-Bab on Friday, killing 42 people in a major blow just hours after they hailed its capture from the Islamic State group. The bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives outside a rebel command centre in the village of Susian, eight kilometres northeast of Al-Bab.

The blast devastated the twin command posts and also seriously wounded a large number of fighters. Most of the dead were fighters.

The strategic town, just 25 km south of the Turkish border, was the jihadists' last stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo. The bombing targeted Turkey-backed rebels who along with Turkish forces captured nearby Al Bab city a day earlier after dislodging the Islamic State (IS) militant group out of that key area near the Turkish border.

A day earlier, the IS announced its withdrawal from Al Bab, which has been taken by the Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels on Thursday. The withdrawal of the IS from Al Bab, its largest stronghold in northern Syria near the Turkish borders, came after 100 days of battles against the Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels fighting in an operation called the Euphrates Shield. The IS claimed it had killed 400 Turkish soldiers and rebel fighters.