A vehicle explosion in the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwestern Syria resulted in multiple casualties on Wednesday morning, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to Rudaw. The blast occurred near a restaurant on Rajo Road around 10 a.m., with reports indicating several people were killed or injured.

Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with emergency responders quickly arriving. While the exact number of casualties remains unclear, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed that at least two people were killed, and significant material damage was reported. Rudaw has not independently verified the number of deaths.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which comes on the heels of a similar incident on August 7 in the nearby city of Azaz. In that attack, a truck rigged with explosives killed at least 10 people and injured 13 others.

Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish city, has been under Turkish control since 2018 after a military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been backed by the United States in its ongoing conflict against Iran-backed pro-regime forces in Deir ez-Zor.

The explosion adds to the ongoing instability in Syria, where a civil war that began in 2011 has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and left millions in need of humanitarian aid. The United Nations has reiterated its call for all parties in Syria to seek a peaceful resolution to the 13-year-long conflict.