Azaz, the rebel held city in Syria had seven killed and over 20 injured in a blast on Wednesday as Russia-led talks between the Syrian government and rebels focused on a cease-fire resumed in Kazakhstan.
The booby-trapped car exploded near a mosque in the northern countryside of Aleppo province, Xinhua news agency reported.
Azaz has changed hands among rebel groups, including the Islamic State (IS), several times since falling out of government control in 2012.
The recent attack is believed to have been carried out by the IS, which withdrew from the city in 2014.
Since 2015, the city’s control has become shared by the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army. The city is highly valued as a logistical supply route close to the Turkish-Syrian border.
Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a car bomb went off in the town of Azaz close to the offices of the Syrian interim government, which represents the opposition in rebel-held areas. The Observatory and the activist-run Azaz Media Center confirmed the toll, which was likely to rise.
Azaz is on a key opposition supply route, and is a hub for fighters and opposition activists. It also hosts people displaced from fighting elsewhere in the country. The town has been the scene of several attacks, some claimed by the Islamic State group. A huge explosion in January killed at least 50 people in Azaz.
