Kurdish-led Forces Launch Counter-Offensive Against Turkish-backed Syrian National Army

Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a counter-offensive on Tuesday against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), aiming to reclaim areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkey. This escalation follows intensifying clashes between the two groups, particularly after the fall of Bashar Assad’s totalitarian regime earlier this month.

The SDF, a crucial U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group, has been engaged in a weekslong struggle with the SNA, which recently captured the strategic city of Manbij and surrounding territories. Ruken Jamal, a spokesperson for the Women’s Protection Unit (YPJ), part of the SDF, stated that SDF fighters are now just 11 kilometers (7 miles) from Manbij. She accused Turkey of using the SNA to weaken the SDF’s influence in ongoing discussions about Syria’s political future.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports significant casualties on both sides as the conflict intensifies. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaar Güler discussed the situation in Syria, emphasizing the importance of coordination in countering the Islamic State and ensuring Syria’s stability.

Turkey views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group it designates as a terrorist organization, and has been conducting military operations to establish a buffer zone along its southern border.