Fierce clashes between SNA factions cause casualties in NW Syria
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Fierce clashes erupted on Wednesday between two Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka Syrian National Army (SNA), injuring four militants and arresting 11 others by a faction affiliated with al-Jabha al-Shamiya (Levant Front) in northwest Syria.
According to an exclusive source, intense armed clashes occurred between two factions. On one side, the Abu al-Azz Ariha group, which defected from the Levant Front and joined the newly formed Division 37 under the Third Corps, both affiliated with the SNA. On the other side, the Storm of the North Brigade, affiliated with the Levant Front. The clashes involved the use of machine guns and light weapons.
The source added that “the clashes resulted in four injuries within the Division 37 and the arrest of 11 of its militants.”
Additionally, as a result of the clashes, the road linking the cities of Azaz and Afrin, northwest Syria, was closed, and both the central leadership of the Storm of the North Brigade and the Third Corps heightened their military alertness.
Since July 2012, Azaz and its countryside have been under the control of Turkish-backed factions.
Afrin has been under the occupation of Turkey and the SNA since 2018 following a military operation dubbed “Olive Branch” against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of preserving “Turkey’s national security.”
The operation caused the displacement of about 300,000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 42 villages and five camps in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region, since then.
The source indicated that the Third Corps established the Division 37 within its ranks on August 27, as the Abu al-Azz Ariha group defected from Levant Front to join the newly formed division.