Six fighters from a pro-Turkish group were killed in violent clashes in northwestern Syria with Syrian regime forces, which continued Monday morning, rebel formations and an NGO said.
According to a press release from the pro-Turkish rebels, six fighters were killed and three others injured during an offensive launched by regime forces, supported by Kurdish forces, overnight from Sunday to Monday in the Afrin region, close to the border with Turkey.
The killed are fighters from Faylaq al-Sham, considered close to the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a source from this group.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), an NGO with an extensive network of sources on the ground, claimed that Damascus forces and Kurdish fighters had gained ground and taken control of two positions of Faylaq al-Sham, thanks to heavy fighting in which heavy weapons were used.
Clashes continued on Monday morning, local residents told an AFP correspondent. Such firefights occur regularly between Damascus regime forces and pro-Turkish groups in this area.
Pro-Turkish rebels including Faylaq al-Cham control part of the border strip with Turkey. The group has participated in the Turkish army’s offensives launched since 2016 in northern Syria, mainly against Kurdish fighters.
The ongoing fighting on Monday, however, is not linked to Turkey’s threats to launch a ground offensive against other border areas in northern Syria, according to concordant sources.