Suspected Isis suicide bomber kills at least 20 including bridegroom at Kurdish wedding in Syria

At least 20 people attending a Kurdish wedding in the city of Hasaka, north-eastern Syria, have been killed by a bomb blast, according to a monitoring group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 22 people including the groom died in the explosion on Monday (3 October), with some state reports putting the death toll as high as 30. Many of the wounded are in a life-threatening condition.

"A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a hall in Tall Tawil village during the wedding of a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces, killing at least 22 civilians," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman in an Al-Monitor report.

"The bridegroom was among the dead," Abdel Rahman added.

The Kurdish YPG militia put the death toll at 20 with dozens more injured, stating that it was as yet unknown if the blast was an explosive device or involved a suicide bomber. Also among the dead a leading Kurdish party figure, the Observatory said.

According to the Islamic State (Isis) affiliated Amaq news agency, a suicide bomber armed with machine guns and an explosive vest attacked a group of Kurdish YPG fighters on the outskirts of Hasaka.

Amaq reports that incident took place in early evening of Monday, at a public hall between Hasaka and Kurdish-controlled Qamishli city, although this cannot be verified by IBTimes UK.

The majority of Hasaka is under the control of the YPG militia after it ousted the Syrian army in August. Islamist militants have been largely pushed out of the province but still continue to engage in lightning strikes against Kurdish forces.

There are unconfirmed reports that the attacker was a female suicide bomber, Reuters said.

At least 47 were wounded by the explosion at Sanabil Hall and transferred to the national hospital in Hasakah. Isis (Daesh) has since claimed responsibility for the wedding party suicide attack in Hasakah, reports Kurdistan24.

Earlier on Monday (3 October), Isis also claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on the Syrian government-held city of Hama that killed three people and wounded 11 others. The attackers wore belts with explosives to carry out the raid on a police station and the ruling Ba'ath party office, according to Amaq news.