On March 20, 2024, an improvised explosive device (IED) of as yet unidentified source killed two boys, identified as eight-year-old Allou Kamel al-Alayyat and 12-year-old Abdul Ilah Ali al-Hassan, on the densely crowded Abu Helal Street in al-Serb neighborhood in northern Manbij city in eastern Aleppo governorate. The IED originally targeted a senior Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) intelligence commander. Several civilians were also injured in the bombing, including three children and two women. The area is under the control of the SDF.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident.
SNHR condemns all bombings in in residential areas. We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in their areas, to investigate this incident, and to make the findings of the investigation known to the public. Syria will never have true stability without a genuine political transition process towards democracy within a fixed timetable.
