Syria: Seven dead after car bomb tears through market in Azaz

The explosion happened when the market was crowded with shoppers preparing for a religious holiday

At least seven people have been killed in a car bombing which targeted a busy market in northern Syria.

Several more were injured in the attack in the town of Azaz in Aleppo province, near the Turkish border.

It is unclear who carried out the attack in the town which is run by pro-Turkish militias fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish forces and their proxies control large areas of Syria along the border the two countries share.

When the bomb went off the market was busy with shoppers buying new clothes for their children ahead of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan next month.

The White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group which operates in Syria, said two children were among the dead.

Footage of the aftermath showed bodies lying on the ground, damaged buildings and the remnants of a car on fire.

No group has admitted carrying out the attack.

Businesses and homes were damaged by the blast

Thaer Hafar, 34, who works at a store in Azaz, said he and his family heard a loud blast when they were on their way to the market.

He said people at the scene were terrified there could be a second car bomb.

"There's no security or safety," he told AFP, adding "even if we're at home, we're afraid".

Azaz is home to the Syrian Interim Government, an opposition group which stakes a claim to being the country's legitimate authority.

The town has been described by analysts as strategically important in the context of the civil war because of its proximity to the Turkish border and value as a supply route.

Bombs targeting crowded civilian areas are not uncommon in Syria's north-west border region, including in Azaz.

In 2017, more than 40 people were killed when a car bomb was detonated outside the town's courthouse.

The Islamic State group - which captured the town in 2013 and briefly held it - said it had carried out the attack.