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Agence France-Presse

More than 100 combatants were killed over the last two days in northern Syria in fighting between Turkish-backed groups and Syrian Kurdish forces, a war monitor said on Sunday.
Since Friday evening, clashes in several villages around the city of Manbij have left 101 dead, including 85 members of pro-Turkish groups and 16 from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
In a statement, the SDF said it had repelled “all the attacks from Turkey’s mercenaries supported by Turkish drones and aviation”.
Turkish-backed factions in northern Syria resumed their fight with the SDF at the same time Islamist-led rebels were launching an offensive on November 27 that overthrew Syrian president Bashar al-Assad just 11 days later.
They succeeded in capturing the cities of Manbij and Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province from the SDF.
The fighting has continued since, with heavy casualties.

According to Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Observatory, the Turkish-backed groups aim to take the cities of Kobani and Tabqa, before moving on to Raqqa.
The SDF controls vast areas of Syria’s northeast and parts of Deir Ezzor province in the east where the Kurds created an autonomous administration following the withdrawal of government forces during the civil war that began in 2011.
The group, which receives US backing, took control of much of its current territory, including Raqqa, after capturing it from the jihadists of the Islamic State group.
Ankara considers the SDF an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long insurgency in southeastern Turkey and is banned as a terrorist organisation by the government.
The Turkish military regularly launches strikes against Kurdish fighters in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, accusing them of being PKK-linked.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader and the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has previously said the SDF would be integrated into the country’s future army.
HTS led the coalition of rebel groups that overthrew Assad last month.


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Middle East

Syrian opposition fighters secure the area near Manbij in northern Syria, on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

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France-based photojournalist Sameer al-Doumy photographs Douma from a damaged building. He says returning to his Syrian hometown doesn’t offer comfort. Photo: AFP

Sameer takes a selfie in his old neighbourhood. Photo: AFP

Sameer talks to people from his old neighbourhood, which was heavily bombarded by Assad’s forces. Photo: AFP

Sameer visits his old house in Douma. “The sitting room is still the same, my father’s beloved library hasn’t changed,” he says. Photo: AFP

The top floor of Sameer’s old house was destroyed during the bombings. Photo: AFP

Sameer says he doesn’t feel comfort returning to Douma, as most of his family members are no longer there. Photo: AFP

Sameer meets a friend from his old neighbourhood in Douma. Photo: AFP

Sameer visits his old school in Douma. Photo: AFP

Sameer began his career as a photojournalist in Douma, filming protests against Assad’s oppressive regime. In May 2017, he escaped the city via a tunnel. Photo: AFP

Turkey says it will take action on Kurdish militias if Syria doesn’t

The flag of Turkey hangs from a pole at the Embassy of Turkey in the capital Damascus. Turkey has expressed concern about Kurdish militants based in a post-Assad Syria. File photo: AFP

A Syrian Kurd flashes the V for victory sign during a demonstration in support of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeastern city of Qamishli. Photo: AFP

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Fighters affiliated with Syria’s new administration in the coastal city of Latakia on Thursday. Syria’s new authorities launched an operation in a stronghold of ousted president Bashar al-Assad on Thursday resulting in deadly fight erupts between security forces ad Assad loyalists. Photo: AFP

A boy inspects debris in the prison of Saydnaya, north of Damascus, Syria. Photo: AFP

Syria’s new leader says elections could take 4 years, hopes Trump will lift sanctions

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, speaks to the media after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, on December 23. Photo: Reuters

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (left) meets with Syria’s new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. Photo: Syrian Presidency/dpa

Israeli military says commandos raided missile factory in Syria in September

More than 100 Israeli special forces carried out the September 8 operation. Photo: Israeli Army via AFP

Troops during the reported raid. Photo: Israeli Army via AFP

The aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in Masyaf, Hama province, Syria September 9. File photo: Reuters

News

World

Clashes have killed 85 fighters from pro-Turkish groups and 16 from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces


Clashes have killed 85 fighters from pro-Turkish groups and 16 from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces.


Syrian conflict