15 killed in bomb attack in northwestern Syria

By Halit Suleyman

AZAZ, Syria (AA) – At least 15 people were killed late Thursday when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded in the northwestern Syrian province of Aleppo, according to initial reports.

According to local security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, dozens of people were also wounded in the explosion, and some of the injured were taken to hospitals in neighboring Turkey.

The explosion hit Aleppo’s Azaz district, near the Turkish border.

Aleppo has been a flashpoint of conflict between forces allied to the Syrian regime and opposition forces.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, across the war-torn country more than a quarter of a million people are believed to have been killed, and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are to meet Saturday in an effort to revive hopes for peace in Syria.

In a statement, the ministry said the meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, would also be attended by regional powers.

The meeting should include Russia, the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Qatar, Lavrov told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Moscow.

On Oct. 3, the U.S. ended talks with Russia aimed at reviving a cease-fire following a Russian bombing campaign around Aleppo, where Syrian regime troops are trying to take the city’s eastern districts.