Sun Jan 05 21:18:50 IST 2025: ## Over 100 Killed in Renewed Clashes Between Turkish-Backed Groups and Syrian Kurdish Forces
**Beirut, January 5, 2025** – Fierce fighting between Turkish-backed Syrian National Army factions and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria has resulted in over 100 deaths in the past two days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The SOHR reported that clashes around Manbij, in Aleppo province, since Friday have left 101 combatants dead: 85 from pro-Turkish groups and 16 from the SDF. The SDF claims to have repelled attacks supported by Turkish drones and aviation.
This renewed conflict follows the recent overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by a coalition of Islamist militants, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on November 27th. Turkish-backed factions capitalized on the situation, seizing Manbij and Tal Rifaat from the SDF.
The Observatory’s head, Rami Abdel Rahman, indicates that the Turkish-backed groups are aiming to capture Kobane and Tabqa next, eventually targeting Raqqa. The SDF, which controls large swathes of northeastern Syria and parts of Deir Ezzor, is backed by the United States and previously played a key role in defeating the Islamic State group.
Turkey views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a designated terrorist organization, and regularly conducts strikes against Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq. Despite statements from Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa (head of HTS), about integrating the SDF into a future Syrian army, the ongoing clashes indicate a far more complex and volatile situation on the ground. The fighting continues with heavy casualties.
First Piper 