Judge wounded in explosion in Syria’s Azaz dies

AZAZ, Syria (North Press) – A judge working in a military court in the city of Azaz, northwestern Syria, died of his injuries on Monday.

Judge Melhem Melhem was targeted on Sunday, by an IED, causing him serious injuries, to which he succumbed on Monday.

On July 20, a VBIED exploded in Azaz, killing seven and injuring at least 70.

The city of Azaz has been subjected to security chaos since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, when Syrian opposition groups captured it in 2012. Since this time, it has fallen under the control of ISIS, the Free Syrian Army, and al-Nusra Front, finally falling under the control of the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition after Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016.

Azaz, and the opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria in general, are witnessing a state of security chaos accompanied by frequent bombings amid the inability of the opposition groups to maintain security.