At least 23 fighters from pro-Turkish rebel forces die in clashes with the SDF in Manbij (Syria)

MADRID Jan. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least 23 fighters from Turkish-backed rebel forces were killed on Thursday in clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Manbij, in the northern province of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed the death of 23 militiamen of the Syrian National Army (SNA) – armed groups backed by Turkey that have participated in the offensive against Bashar Al Assad – in combat with Kurdish-Arab forces.

During the clashes, which took place in the towns of Athsana and Mastaha, a member of the Manbij Military Council, created by several FDS groups, was also killed.

For their part, the Kurdish-Arab forces have celebrated in a statement on the social network east of Manbij and in the Shirin dam field.

“The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries launched violent attacks on villages south and east of the city of Manbij, where our forces repelled the attacks and killed dozens of people,” they noted.

Turkey, which supports several rebel groups operating in Syria, has in the past launched several military operations in Syrian territory against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia and has criticized US support for the SDF, the spearhead from the offensives against Islamic State until the defeat of its ‘caliphate’ in Syria in 2019.