Damascus, Dec 31 (IANS): At least 16 people were killed and 35 others wounded on Wednesday when twin bombings targeted a predominantly-Kurdish city in northern Syria, pro-government Sama TV reported.

Twin bombings ripped through two restaurants in the predominantly-Kurdish northeastern city of Qamishli in the al-Hasakah province, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog group, said the blasts were carried out by two suicide bombers with the Islamic State (IS) militant groups.

It added that the two IS bombers detonated themselves in the two restaurants near the al-Syahi Street and the al-Wasati neighbourhood in Qamishli.

The blast was the second to target Kurdish areas in al-Hasakah. Earlier this month, at least 20 people were killed when bombings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group targeted a town in al-Hasakah.

The Kurds are in control of the majority of northern al-Hasakah and the borderline with Turkey, while the IS terror group control the city of Shadadi and its villages south of al-Hasakah and areas in the eastern and western countryside of that province.