A car bomb killed 20 people in northern Syria, authorities said, vowing to punish those behind the attack in an area where Kurdish- led forces and Turkey-backed factions have clashed for weeks.  Also on Monday, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said organising elections could take up to five years, the week after he was appointed interim president and  less than two months after ousting Bashar al-Assad. 

The second such car bomb attack in days in northern Syria's Manbij -- and the deadliest attack since Assad's ouster -- comes amid talks between the new authorities, who are close to Ankara, and the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over the group's future.  "A treacherous terrorist bombing targeted civilians in Manbij city, killing 20 people," Syria's presidency said in a statement, without apportioning blame. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which the SDF also condemned.

"This crime will not pass without imposing the most severe of punishments on those responsible," said the presidency, vowing "to pursue and hold accountable" those involved. Fighting in the Manbij area has raged despite efforts from SDF backer the United States to broker a ceasefire. Turkey, which opposes the SDF, is due to host Sharaa on Tuesday for his second international visit since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa, who was in Saudi Arabia for a second day Monday, said in a pre-recorded television interview that "my estimate is that the period of time will be approximately between four and five years until the elections". He said in the interview broadcast by a private Syrian channel that the vote's infrastructure "needs to be re-established, and this takes time".

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)