The current focal point of those animosities is the strategic Syrian town of Manbij, nestled on the western side of the Euphrates River.
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The clashes were preceded by Turkish airstrikes against bases of Kurdish-affiliated forces and residential areas at Amarneh.
In comments televised by CNN Turk, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus referred to Turkey’s fight against “terrorist groups operating in Marea-Jarablus line”, an area running along the border between Bab al-Salama and the town of Jarablus.
There were reports of several SDF fighters being killed in the battles, less than 10 miles south of the Turkish border.
“People of Kobane demonstrate on the border against Turkish violations of building a wall and cross inside Syria”, said Idris Nassan, a former senior official in the Kobane administration. The Jarablus Military Council, affiliated with the U.S-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the Turkish airstrikes marked an “unprecedented and unsafe escalation” that “endangers the future of the region”.
But FSA rebels sent into Syria with support from Turkish tanks, jets and special forces, arrived to find it deserted by militants who had already pulled out and the focus swiftly moved to Kurdish rebels. Now their conflict could expand into new areas, as Turkey’s incursion transforms Syria’s military landscape.
Of particular concern is Syria’s second city of Aleppo, where up to 300,000 civilians are believed to be trapped amid an increasingly ferocious battle between rebel groups a government forces backed by Russian airstrikes.
State TV said Saturday that Daraya was clear of gunmen, and is under the control of the Syrian army. “If not, we will have to push them back by force”.
The US is leading a coalition including Britain and more than a dozen other nations that are targeting Isis with air strikes and backing rebels fighting the terrorist group on the ground.
The media office of the Turkish-backed Nour el-din el-Zinki rebel group said the Syrian rebels were backed by Turkish tanks.
The Jarablus Military Council was set up with the stated aim of capturing the Islamic State-held town. “Those guys are here to serve Turkey’s agenda, not the Syrian revolution’s goals”.
“We came to rid this area of ISIS”, Issa said.
Manbij and al-Bab lie directly in between the two Kurdish de-facto autonomous zones. “We confirm our ability to defend ourselves”, it said.
The official acknowledged that there had been tension between Kurdish and Arab fighters in the area but played down its significance. “This is a pretty standard feature of coalition warfare”, he said.
Its campaign against the Kurdish fighters puts it at odds with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally the USA, which supports the YPG as an effective fighting force against IS. Turkey considers the PYD and its People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror organisations.
Fikri Isik, the Turkish defence minister, said Turkey would not let the YPG and its allies join up Kurdish territory in north-east and north-west Syria.
ISIL has controlled territory along the Syria-Turkey border since 2013. Two Turkish tanks hit. Turkey on Wednesday sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the key Islamic State-held town of Jara. Whether this is a goal of the current offensive remains unknown.
Ankara fears the emergence of a contiguous autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster Kurdish rebels across the border in south-eastern Turkey. Turkish troops head to the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016.
The Observatory said 11 buses were in Daraya to continue the evacuation.
Other top officials have openly noted that Turkey’s objectives include curbing Kurdish territorial expansion in Syria.
On Thursday, Turkey had already shelled Syrian Kurdish targets near Jarabulus in what was seen as a warning to them to retreat.
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Syrian rebels are continuing to secure Jarabulus as more Turkish tanks have rumbled over the border to assist them. Teams have been scouring neighborhoods for land mines and improvised explosive devices left behind by the Islamic State. “We do not support an independent Kurd initiative”, Kerry said. “Everyone knows what ISIS is, but the YPG is trying to divide Syria, and that is also not acceptable”.
