At least 20 killed in bombing of Syrian refugee camp near Turkey

ATWEH , Syria, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- At least 20 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a northeastern Syria refugee camp near the Turkish border Thursday.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility on social media for the attack at the Atmeh refugee camp in Syria's Idlib province. It occurred during a shift change at a checkpoint of the Free Syrian Army, when a suicide bomber entered the camp and detonated his explosive vest. Multiple people were injured; the most severely injured were taken to hospitals in Turkey. The bomber is believed to have targeted Turkish-backed rebels within the camp.

The death toll was reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Turkey initiated security improvements, called Operation Euphrates Shield, along its border with Syria in September to improve security and eliminate the threat of terrorism. The Atweh camp is not within the region covered.

Syria has seen more than 47,000 deaths in its five-year civil war, the Beirut-based Syrian Center for Policy Research reported.