Clashes erupted yesterday in northern Syria between rival Turkish-backed armed groups, resulting in a fire near Turkey’s Kilis province after a rocket hit the area.
The fighting, which took place near the Hiwar Kalas area in Aleppo province, involved violent exchanges between the Joint Forces and the Al-Sultan Murad Division on one side, and the Suqour Al-Shamal Faction on the other, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). All groups involved operate under the Syrian National Army (SNA), an umbrella group of Turkish-backed factions in Syria.
The clashes began after the Joint Forces attempted to storm the headquarters of Suqour Al-Shamal, according to the SOHR reporting. Following the failed attempt, tanks from the Joint Forces were deployed, and the fighting continued. Meanwhile, the Al-Jabha Al-Shamiya Faction reportedly intervened to assist Suqour Al-Shamal and lift the siege on the village of Hiwar Kalas.
SOHR claims that the Joint Forces were acting upon instructions from Turkey, which seeks to dismantle factions that oppose normalization with the Syrian government and the reopening of border crossings.
Turkey has recently sought to normalize relations with the Damascus government, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressing willingness to meet his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad. However, Damascus has yet to respond positively to Ankara’s overtures, which have caused unrest among SNA factions.
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As a result of the clashes, an RPG-7 rocket hit a minefield in Syria, causing a fire near the border village of Akıncı in Kilis, the Turkish border province, according to the governor of Kilis.. After videos circulated on social media with claims that Kilis was targeted in the clashes, the governor issued a statement clarifying the incident.
“At approximately 17.53, an RPG-7 rocket hit a minefield during clashes between two groups from the Syrian National Army (SNA) on the Syrian side of the border near Akıncı village, causing a fire in the surrounding vegetation. The footage circulating on social media pertains to the Syrian side of the border, and there was no attack on Kilis,” said the governor’s office.
Turkish-backed groups control several cities in Syria’s north and northwest, within the boundaries of Aleppo province. These groups occasionally clash with each other, as well as with Syrian and Kurdish forces. (VK)