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Clashes break out between Turkey-backed rebels, Kurdish fighters in northern Syria

Xinhua, August 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kurdish fighters said they had confronted an attack by the Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria on Saturday, marking the first clash between the groups, following Ankara's military intervention in northern Syria last Wednesday.

The Military Council of Jarablus, a part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the encounter occurred in the village of Amarneh south of the city of Jarablus, which has recently been captured by the Turkey-backed Free Syria Army (FSA).

The SDF said they destroyed three Turkish tanks, a claim that proven right by many Turkish media outlets.

Stopping the SDF advance was the main target of the Turkish military campaign in northern Syria.

On Wednesday, a group of the FSA accompanied by Turkish tanks and special forces crossed the borders from Turkey into Syria, capturing Jarablus from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The operation cut the road before the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the allied SDF could take that city, as it was the Kurdish groups' next target, following a series of successful operations against the IS in northern Syria near the Turkish borders.

Meanwhile, the Nour Addien Zinki group, part of the FSA, said it had succeeded with the help of other factions of the FSA of capturing Amarneh after clashing with the SDF.

The Turkey-backed campaign came as part of Ankara's double-purpose operation, which aims at clearing the city from the IS and let Syrian rebels fill in the void before the Kurdish fighters could capture the city.

Some observers believed fighting the IS was not the priority of Turkey, saying that Ankara fears the advance of Kurdish forces in northern Syria toward Jarablus.

Turkey, which has more than 20 million Kurds in its southern region, has long opposed any expansion of Kurdish influence near its border, fearing the threat to its territorial integrity.

On Saturday, Turkey sent more tanks to back up the FSA in the battles against the Kurdish-led groups. Endit