Earthshaking Blast Shrouds Aleppo Suburb in Smoke
Video posted online Monday appears to show a large blast that was said to kill 60 government soldiers near Aleppo. The clip provides a glimpse into the sensory experience of being near a large suicide bomb at the moment it detonates: a quiet suburb was violently shaken, enveloped in a thick cloud of ash and smoke and showered with debris. Birds flew away in a panic and the sound of frenzied gunshots cut through the smoke. Through the haze, men can be heard shouting, "God is great!"
This video was posted to YouTube by an accountassociated with rebels in Aleppo. A large truck bomb containing six tons of explosives killed as many as 60 government troops near Aleppo on Monday. A Qaeda-linked rebel group, The Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, was responsible for that attack.
We do not know the exact number of people killed by this blast, or if any of them were civilians. Text accompanying this video says that it shows a "martyrdom operation" that killed "a large number" of government forces, but does not make the claim that 60 soldiers were killed.
The YouTube account that posted this video also posted a second clip, which claims to show the suicide bomber in this attack displaying large amounts of explosives packed into the back of what appears to be a dump truck. A jihadist flag that displays an Islamic prayer hangs on the truck's side.
Tweets Related to This VideoAymenn J Al-Tamimi (@ajaltamimi)
#Aleppo: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham targeted regime forces near Ibn Khaldun hospital w/ 60 killed: http://t.co/eXQWXWRKro #Syria
Basma Atassi (@Basma_)
Video purports to show the moment of reported suicide blast by jihadists in Aleppo. 60 regime troops reported killed https://t.co/ArCcD2zwBt