BEIRUT: At least 24 fighters, mostly from Turkish-backed groups, were killed in clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern Manbij district, a war monitor said on Thursday.
The violence killed 23 Turkish-backed fighters and one member of the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based war monitor said the latest bout of fighting was sparked by attacks by the Ankara-backed fighters on two towns south of Manbij.
Swathes of northern Syria are controlled by a Kurdish-led administration whose de facto army, the US-backed SDF, spearheaded the fight that helped oust the Daesh group from its last territory in Syria in 2019.
Turkiye accuses the main component of the SDF, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of being affiliated with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which both Washington and Ankara blacklist as a terrorist group.
Fighting has raged around the Arab-majority city of Manbij, controlled by the Manbij Military Council, a group of local fighters operating under the SDF.
According to the Observatory, “clashes continued south and east of Manbij, while Turkish forces bombarded the area with drones and heavy artillery.”
The SDF said it repelled attacks by Turkiye-backed groups south and east of Manbij.
“This morning, with the support of five Turkish drones, tanks and modern armored vehicles, the mercenary groups launched violent attacks” on several villages in the Manbij area, the SDF said in a statement.
“Our fighters succeeded in repelling all the attacks, killing dozens of mercenaries and destroying six armored vehicles, including a tank.”
Turkiye has mounted multiple operations against the SDF since 2016, and Ankara-backed groups have captured several Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria in recent weeks.
The fighting has continued since rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) toppled longtime ruler Bashar Assad on December 8.
24 killed as pro-Ankara factions clash with Syria’s Kurdish-led SDF
https://arab.news/2ne9c
24 killed as pro-Ankara factions clash with Syria’s Kurdish-led SDF
- The latest bout of fighting was sparked by attacks by the Turkiye-backed fighters on two towns south of Manbij, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
- Swathes of northern Syria are controlled by the US-backed SDF, which spearheaded the fight that helped oust the Daesh group from its last territory in Syria in 2019
EU chief von der Leyen says Europe to do ‘everything it can’ to support Syria
- “Europe will do everything it can to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction,” von der Leyen said
- A Syrian presidency statement said the two sides discussed cooperation, including on reconstruction
DAMASCUS: European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would do everything possible to assist Syria’s recovery and reconstruction, after meeting President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Friday in Damascus.
Von der Leyen, the highest-ranking EU official to visit since longtime ruler Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024, is on a regional tour alongside Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council.
Their visit comes as days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have rocked the north Syrian city of Aleppo.
“Europe will do everything it can to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction,” von der Leyen said on X.
A Syrian presidency statement said the two sides discussed cooperation, including on reconstruction, as well as “humanitarian matters and the refugee issue in Europe.”
On Thursday, a joint EU-Jordan statement issued on the eve of the EU leaders’ arrival in Damascus said that “we will continue working together in support of a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition.”
Syria is struggling to forge a new path after years of war sparked by a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Sharaa, who is seeking to extend state authority across the whole country, has come under pressure to protect Syria’s many minority communities, including the Kurds.
Several EU officials have visited Syria since Assad’s ouster by Sharaa’s forces more than a year ago, and the EU has removed economic sanctions in place under Assad.
In March, the EU pledged nearly 2.5 billion euros in aid for Syria for 2025 and 2026.
Von der Leyen and Costa were also visiting Lebanon on Friday.
