Turkish forces, SNA shell villages in Syria’s Manbij
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Manbij Military Council (MMC), affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced on Thursday at dawn that Turkish forces and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), shelled villages in the countryside of Manbij, northern Syria.
The MMC stated on its official account on Facebook that Turkish forces and SNA factions shelled with heavy weapons and mortars the villages of Sayada, al-Dandaniyah and Umm Adasa al-Farat in the northwestern countryside of Manbij, causing material damage in properties of civilians.
Since early September, the SNA factions and militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) supported by Turkey have intensified attacks on Manbij region.
This came after the SDF launched on Aug. 27 a military operation called “Security Reinforcement” with the support of the US-led Global Coalition on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, specifically in Deir ez-Zor, “to eradicate ISIS sleeper cells, pursue criminals responsible for perpetrating injustices against the local population, and to track down smugglers who exploit the populace’s livelihoods.”
On Aug. 30, the SDF announced the dismissal of commander of Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Ahmad al-Khabil, known as Abu Khawla, from duty, for his involvement “in multiple crimes and violations, including communication and coordination with external entities hostile to the revolution, committing criminal offenses and engaging in drug trafficking, mismanaging of the security situation, his negative role in increasing the activities of ISIS cells,” according to the SDF.
The operation led to the eruption of clashes between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with the dismissed leader and with Nawaf al-Bashir, leader of al-Baggara tribe and a pro-Iranian figure whose groups are active in the western bank of the Euphrates which is under the control of the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.