Al-Qaeda affiliate claims bomb attack on Russian base

From the Telegraph

An Al-Qaeda affiliate has claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack against a Russian base in northeast Syria, in what is believed to be their first operation outside of the northwest of the country.

Two men had parked an explosives-laden pickup truck outside the military base in the Tal Salman area, north of Raqqa, before fleeing, said UK-based war monitor, Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR).

“It’s the first such direct attack against a Russian base in northeast Syria,” said SOHR’s Rami Abdel Rahman.

Hurras al-Din released a statement on social media claiming responsibility for the attack. The group very rarely operates outside of Idlib, the last rebel bastion in the country, and has not been publicly claiming or advertising operations since it suffered losses in summer clashes with another al-Qaeda offshoot in Idlib, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS).

There was no immediate report of the incident by Russian forces. SOHR said it caused injuries, but did not give an exact number.