Over 100 Dead in Escalating Clashes Between Kurdish Forces and Turkey-Backed Militias in Northern Syria

Fighting near Manbij intensifies as Turkey-backed factions aim to push Kurdish-led forces out of key territories.

The past two days of fighting near Manbij in northern Syria have resulted in 101 deaths, including 85 Turkey-backed fighters and 16 members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Turkey-backed factions have captured the towns of Manbij and Tal Rifaat and are reportedly targeting other Kurdish-controlled areas, including Kobani, Tabaqa, and Raqqa.
The Turkish Defense Ministry announced it had neutralized 32 Kurdish fighters, whom it associates with the PKK/YPG, using drones and airstrikes.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, which played a central role in defeating ISIS, stated they have repelled all Turkish-backed attacks despite significant losses.
The conflict follows the recent collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime, with a coalition of Islamist rebel groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, now controlling much of Syria and calling for the integration of the SDF into a future national army.