Background The buses were transporting evacuees as part of an agreement brokered between the Syrian government, Iran, and Qatar (representing rebel fighters) and implemented by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Under the terms of the evacuation deal, residents of the Shia communities of Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya, which supported the Assad government and were surrounded by Sunni fighters, would be transported to Aleppo. In return, residents of Madaya and Al-Zabadani, which are Sunni-majority supporting the opposition, would be transported to the Idlib province.
Bombing The attack took place in the Rashidin district, just west of the city of Aleppo, at about 15:30 local time. According to journalists, the bomb was in a car that parked and began distributing food near the front of a convoy of buses that were stopped at a checkpoint to move injured refugees.
Early reports indicated that only a few dozen people had been killed, but the confirmed death toll rose to 126 by the following day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory said that 109 of the dead were refugees, including 68 children, with the remainder rebel fighters and aid workers, though a spokesman for the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group said that about 30 of its members were killed. According to the White Helmets civil defense group, 55 people were injured.
Perpetrator The perpetrator of this bombing was unclear. According to Syrian state television, the civilians of Fuaa and Kafriya supported the government during the siege of the towns, and the rebels were responsible for the bombing. According to opposition activists, the bombing was conducted by the government on its own civilians to divert attention from the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack.