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Rural Manbij: Exchange of Airstrikes and Shelling Between SDF and Turkish-backed Factions
Clashes continue in the rural areas of Manbij, where violent battles are occurring near the Tishrin Dam between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Manbij Military Council on one side, and the Turkish-backed factions, supported by Turkish aerial fire, on the other. There have been no clear changes in the control map.
In recent hours, 8 SDF members were injured, including critical cases, due to shelling and clashes, amid reports of casualties among the Turkish-backed factions. On Friday evening, factions of the Turkish-backed "National Army" launched attacks on several villages in rural Manbij, taking advantage of Turkish airstrikes, while artillery shelling continued intensively.
The SDF responded by detonating mines to hinder the advance of the attackers and increasing their forces in the area in anticipation of further operations. The clashes concentrated in the axes of the villages of Hajj Hussein, Al-Sayidin, Atchana, Al-Loucha, and Al-Mas Tahha, causing a state of alert and fear among local residents due to the escalation of fighting.
The death toll among the Syrian Democratic Forces has risen to 12, while 50 members of the Turkish-backed National Army have been killed, according to preliminary reports of the ongoing clashes. Both sides used heavy and medium weapons, in addition to drones operated by the SDF, and the confrontations resulted in the destruction of several military vehicles belonging to the Turkish factions.
