Turkish-Backed Rebels Clash With SDF

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) clashed with Turkish-backed Syrian rebels in northern Syria on Monday in an escalation of tensions between the two groups, Reuters reported.

The clashes took place around the village of Ain Daqna and the nearby Menagh air base north of Aleppo. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Mostafa Bali of the SDF told Reuters that some Turkish-backed rebels had been “killed and captured.”

Meanwhile, Turkish forces shelled areas controlled by the SDF in Aleppo’s northern countryside.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Monday’s developments are part of Turkey’s preparations for a “wide-scale military operation” against SDF strongholds in northern Syria.

Syrian rebels said this month they were preparing to join the Turkish military in a major new offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Pro-Government Forces Seize Raqqa Oil Fields

The Syrian army and allied militias secured further natural resource revenues for the government Monday after capturing an oil field southwest of Raqqa, Reuters reported.

Pro-government forces seized the al-Daylaa oil field alongside the Zamla gas field in Raqqa’s southwestern desert region on Monday in a new advance against the so-called Islamic State.

The advance comes only two days after the Syrian army said it has taken control of the Wahab, al-Fahd, Dbaysan, al-Qseer, Abu al-Qatat and Abu Qatash oil fields and several other villages in the desert area that lies in the southwest part of Raqqa province.

Last week, the Syrian army also said it had captured the major Hail gas field northeast of the ancient city of Palmyra.

SDF Intensifies ISIS Assault

The SDF clashed with militants from the so-called Islamic State in the heart of Raqqa Monday, as civilians fled the embattled city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The SOHR said that clashes broke out in central Raqqa near the Old City as well as in the southwestern neighborhood of Yarmouk.

The SDF managed to capture the western part of the Yarmouk district during Monday’s fighting, according to the monitor.

The SDF also said that intense fighting is underway in central Raqqa, adding that its fighters are in position near a centuries-old mosque known as the Old Mosque, the Associated Press reported.

The AP cited the SDF as saying that 11 ISIS fighters have been killed in clashes since Sunday. The ISIS-linked Aamaq news agency said 14 SDF fighters were killed in clashes in Raqqa on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish-run Hawar news agency said that 180 civilians had been able to flee areas controlled by ISIS in Raqqa, according to the AP.

The SDF launched an offensive to reclaim the northern city of Raqqa from ISIS last month, but its advances on the city center have been slowed down by heavy fortifications, land mines and sniper positions.

Recommended Reads:

• The Associated Press: Obstacles Mount in Fight to Aid Syrians Stranded Near Jordan
• NPR: Here’s What to Know About the Trump-Putin Syria Cease-Fire
• The Washington Times: To Undercut Iran, Russians Pressure Assad to Cut Syria’s Longtime Ties to Hezbollah
• Voice of America: Down But Not Out: West Faces Long War Against Islamic State
• Agence France-Presse: No Burial for a Raqqa Family’s Dead