Syria Sees Fresh Wave of Violence as Turkish-Backed Militias Clash with Kurdish Forces
A new wave of violence has struck northern Syria, as Turkish-backed militias and Kurdish forces clashed in a region that has seen a surge in fighting in recent weeks. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, at least 37 people were killed in the battles on Thursday.
Most of the dead were fighters from the Syrian National Army (SNA), an Islamist group backed by Turkey. However, civilian casualties were also reported.
The conflict in the region has been ongoing since the end of November, when Islamist forces launched a major offensive against the Kurdish-led Self-Administration in northern Syria, with the goal of toppling President Bashar al-Assad. The Turkish-backed forces have made significant gains, capturing the cities of Manbij and Tall Rifaat in Aleppo province, and the fighting has continued unabated.
A US-mediated ceasefire between the warring parties has never been fully implemented, and more than 300 people were killed in the fighting last month, according to observers.
Turkey has long been at odds with the United States over its support for the Kurdish-led Self-Administration in northeastern Syria. The Turkish government has been critical of the US’s decision to back the Kurdish-led forces, which it views as a threat to its national security.
The Kurdish-led Self-Administration has been a key partner in the fight against the Islamic State, and the US has praised its role in preventing the group’s resurgence. However, the US has also been accused of exploiting Syria’s resources, and the country’s future remains uncertain.
In a recent interview, the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmed al-Sharaa, said that the Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the national army. The Turkish government has long accused the military wing of the Self-Administration, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist group that has been fighting the Turkish state for decades.