Armed clashes between Turkish-backed armed groups and "settlers" in Afrin countryside

North-Press Agency

Yesterday, on Saturday, an armed clash erupted between Turkish-backed militants and settlers in the Afrin region after the militants attempted to steal herds of sheep.

On Sunday, local sources in Afrin told North-Press that gunfire was heard on the outskirts of the village of Faqiran, in the district of Jinderis in the southwestern countryside of Afrin on Saturday evening, as a result of clashes which broke out for reasons unknown.

Meanwhile, the local Afrin-Post website, which covers developments in the Afrin region, stated on Sunday that an armed clash erupted yesterday evening between members of the Turkish-backed al-Hamza militia and settler shepherds (people brought in from outside Afrin after the invasion) when the militants attempted to steal sheep flocks in the villages of Faqiran and Kafr Dele in Jinderis.

The clash resulted in injuries on both sides, according to what Afrin-Post quoted from local sources in the area, and subsequently demanded that "the herders leave the village, as it is under their control," according to the website.