"The suicide bomber managed to enter and blow himself up in the middle of the mourners, " Shallal Abdul, mayor of Tuz Khurmato, told the AFP news agency.
Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, who in December became one of the most senior Syrian army officers to defect, told The Associated Press by telephone from Turkey that the site they said was targeted is a "major and well-known" center to develop weapons known as the Scientific Research Center.