Blasts in Gire Spi fill sky with smoke

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -  Twin car bombs on Saturday exploded around the predominantly Kurdish border town of Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) on Syria’s border with Turkey, causing no civilian casualties,  Turkish media reports and a source in the town said.

Residents of nearby localities reported hearing the explosions and seeing smoke rise to the sky, according to the reports.

Meanwhile, a well-placed source in Gire Spi confirmed to Rudaw that “the blasts were carried out by two car bombs rigged with explosives, but they did not inflict casualties.”

The source said the first car bomb detonated in the village of Hawija, 10 kilometers south of Gire Spi, near a watch post of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

The source added: “the second car bomb was seized before it exploded. It was transported outside Gire Spi where it was detonated by the YPG.”

On June 15, the YPG and Arab allies took full control of the border town of Gire Spi, driving out ISIS militants and cutting off a vital supply line to ISIS’ self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa.