At least 29 terrorists were killed in a blast at a border crossing with Turkey on Thursday, the opposition UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitoring group said it was unclear what caused the blast at the Atme crossing between Turkey and the northern Syrian province of Idlib, adding that around 20 people had also been wounded.

Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news agency confirmed a deadly explosion had hit Atme, adding that it took place during a “change of guard” among Syrian terrorists in the area.

The ISIL-linked Amaq news agency also reported the blast, saying it was a car bomb, without carrying any formal claim of responsibility.

Gunmen have been targeted at the crossing before. The so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for a mid-August suicide attack there that killed at least 32.

The gunmen killed on Thursday were among those participating in Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield in neighboring Aleppo province.

Ankara began the unprecedented cross-border operation on August 24, saying it was targeting both IS and the Kurdish YPG militia which Turkey considers a “terrorist” group.

The operation has so far captured the ISIL stronghold of Jarabulus and is pushing towards the terrorist-held towns of Dabiq and Al-Bab.

Source: AFP