Erdogan under pressure? The painful blow he received from the Kurds in Syria

At least 24 fighters, most of them from groups supported by Turkey, were killed in clashes with the Kurdish Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Manbeg region of northern Syria, the “Al-Arabiya” channel reported.

According to the report, the clashes led to the death of 23 fighters from Turkish-backed groups and one fighter from the Manbakh Military Committee, which is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

At least 24 fighters, mostly from Turkish-backed groups, have been killed in clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij province in northern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based war monitor said the latest round of fighting was triggered by attacks by Ankara-backed fighters on two towns south of Manbij.

Large parts of northern Syria are under the control of a Kurdish government, with its militia, the US-backed SDF, leading the battle that helped oust ISIS from its last territory in Syria in 2019.

Turkey accuses the main component of the SDF, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is blacklisted by the US and Turkey as a terrorist organization.

The battle continues around the city of Manbij, which is under the control of the Manbij Militia Council – a group of local fighters operating under the SDF. According to the reports, “the fighting continued in the south and east of Manbij, while the Turkish forces bombarded the area with drones and heavy artillery”, after which the Kurdish forces reported that they managed to repel the attacks by groups supported by Turkey in the south and east of Manbij.

“This morning, using five Turkish drones, tanks and armored vehicles, the Turkish groups carried out violent attacks on a number of villages in the Manbij region,” the SDF statement said. “Our fighters managed to repel all the attacks, hit dozens of mercenaries and destroy six armored vehicles , including a tank”.

According to Al-Arabiya, Turkey has launched several operations against Kurdish forces since 2016, and Ankara-backed groups have taken control of several Kurdish cities in northern Syria in recent weeks. The battle has continued since Asher al-Assad was ousted in early December.

About two weeks after the rebels took over the government in Syria, the Saudi media channel Al Hadath reported that Turkey launched attacks on the Tishreen Dam area, and that the intense fighting that is taking place there threatens to collapse the dam. At the same time, the “Sky News Al Arabiya” network confirmed the news and reported that “Turkey is taking advantage of the ceasefire to conquer new areas.”

In this regard, the US also expressed concern about Turkey’s moves and noted that Ankara and its allies are increasing the presence of their forces along the border with Syria, which could indicate plans for a large-scale invasion of the territory held by the Syrian Kurds, who are supported by the US.

The intense fighting between the Kurds and the Turkish militias continues after several attempts were made last month to reach agreements and a ceasefire, but the talks were unsuccessful. One of the main attempts was mediated by the US, but this too collapsed.

In addition, the US is concerned that the Kurdish-Turkish conflict will lead to a mass escape of ISIS prisoners. Currently, the Kurdish forces are holding 9,000 ISIS fighters and about 50,000 of their family members in prison facilities. The situation has become more dangerous due to attacks by pro-Turkish forces on the Kurds guarding the ISIS forces, which could lead to a renewed strengthening of the organization.