A series of deadly explosions rocked a weapons and ammunition depot in northwestern Syria on Thursday, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 100 others. The blasts occurred in Maaret Misrin, located in the northern part of Idlib province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the explosions took place at a facility operated by the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a jihadist group composed largely of Uyghur fighters. While the exact cause of the explosion remains unknown, Syria’s interior ministry has launched an urgent investigation to uncover the circumstances.
According to the Syrian Observatory, the powerful blasts claimed the lives of at least 12 people, including a woman and a child. The Britain-based monitoring group relies on a wide network of sources within Syria. Meanwhile, Syria’s health ministry reported a slightly lower death toll of seven but recorded a significantly higher number of injuries—157—according to the official SANA news agency.
AFP images from the scene showed a massive column of white smoke billowing over the town. Several children were among the wounded, seen in distress as emergency responders rushed to assist the injured.
The warehouse that exploded reportedly belonged to the Turkistan Islamic Party the group, which consists of Uyghur jihadist fighters, has remained active in the ongoing Syrian conflict, mainly in the Idlib region. TIP has fought against the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for years.
The explosions drew immediate attention from local authorities. The Syrian interior ministry announced it had opened a deep investigation to identify what caused the blast. It also vowed to hold those responsible accountable and promised to implement measures that would prevent such deadly incidents in the future.
