Clashes with Syrian Kurdish forces leave 21 Islamist fighters dead

Clashes with Syrian Kurdish forces leave 21 pro-Turkey Islamist fighters dead — Kurdish female SDF/YPJ fighter in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), 2022. Photo: AFP

MANBIJ,—A Syrian war monitoring group reported that at least 21 pro-Turkey Islamist fighters were killed Wednesday in clashes near a Kurdish-controlled position in northern Syria, despite a recent U.S.-brokered extension of a fragile ceasefire in the area.

The fighting erupted near the Tishreen Dam, about 25 kilometers from the strategic town of Manbij, when fighters aligned with Turkey launched an assault on a position held by the Manbij Military Council, a Kurdish-led force.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack was met with heavy resistance, and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, the de facto army of the autonomous Kurdish-led administration in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), managed to repel the attackers.

The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, reported that the pro-Turkey fighters were supported by Turkish reconnaissance aircraft during the attack, which led to heavy clashes involving both small and heavy weapons.

While the exact number of casualties among Kurdish forces was not immediately clear, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Manbij Military Council, acknowledged that some of their fighters were wounded.

The United States had announced on Tuesday that it had brokered an extension of the ceasefire in the area, which had been at risk of collapsing. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that the truce had been extended through the end of the week. The U.S. also indicated it was working with Turkey to reach a more lasting agreement regarding the area.

This recent round of fighting comes amid heightened concerns over Turkey’s military intentions, particularly its threat to launch an assault on the Kurdish town of Kobane in Syrian Kurdistan.

Kobane, located about 50 kilometers northeast of Manbij, was a key battleground during the war against ISIS, where Kurdish male and female YPG/YPJ, with U.S. air support, famously repelled an ISIS offensive in 2014 and 2015.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)