The battle marked a breakdown of a fragile equilibrium that had been established after Kurds and Turks, backed by the United States, helped Syrian rebels oust Islamic State jihadists from a border city last week.
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Turkish forces deny that any of their military vehicles have entered Kobani; rather, they say their forces are protecting construction vehicles as they dig the foundation for a border wall adjacent to the city. Yet it also assisted the Turkish-led rebel offensive on Jarabulus, dubbed “Operation Euphrates Shield”, on Wednesday.
Mohammed Ibrahim Tawil, commander of the Military Revolutionary Council in the city of Al-Bab told Asharq Al-Awsat that since the start of Euphrates Operation few days ago, opposition factions had controlled a large number of villages in the surroundings of Jarablus.
The animosities threaten to pit two groups of US-aided forces – the Central Intelligence Agency and Pentagon-backed Syrian Arab and Turkmen rebels of the Free Syrian Army and the Pentagon-backed Kurdish forces – against each other. But neither side gave pledges on getting much-needed aid into the city.
The escalation against the neighbourhood comes after the evacuation of Daraya, a Damascus suburb, following a deal struck with the government after a gruelling bombing campaign and a tight siege.
Anadolu said pro-Ankara fighters – backed by Turkish troops and firepower – had now taken five more villages from IS after the capture of Jarablus.
Hundreds of fighters and their families were bused north into rebel-held territory in Idlib province.
Turkey’s leadership has made clear that its offensive is also aimed at holding back the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which has led the fight against IS in the area. The around 8,000 civilians left in the town are also being evacuated.
On Thursday, Turkey shelled positions of the YPG near Manbij but there have been no reports of further activity against the group since then. It said the target was an ammunition depot and a command center for “terror groups” but didn’t name the area or the group.
Ankara fears the emergence of a contiguous autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the PKK rebels across the border in southeast Turkey.
The Jarablus Military Council, supported by the US -backed and Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the airstrikes on their bases in the village of Amarneh marked an “unprecedented and risky escalation”.
Ankara says that the YPG has failed to stick to a promise to return across the Euphrates river after advancing west this month despite guarantees given by US Vice President Joe Biden on a visit to Ankara on Wednesday.
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“At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 others wounded by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Sunday morning at Jeb el-Kussa [a village south of Jarablus]”, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based monitor with a network of sources on the ground.
