Two explosions have struck a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens. Syrian state TV said a truck loaded with explosives blew up on the western edge of the town of Qamishli, near the Turkish border today.

Minutes later, a motorcycle also packed with explosives blew up in the same area. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion targeted a centre of the local Kurdish police and a nearby government building.

The predominantly Kurdish US-backed Syria Democratic Forces have been the main force fighting ISIL in northern Syria and have captured wide areas from the hardline fighters.

The latest attack comes amid intense fighting in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, where more than 50 people have been killed in recent days.