After Russian mediation by a Turkish request… the Syria Democratic Forces hand over bodies of 9 fighters of the factions who were killed in the first round of battles of the northern countryside of Aleppo
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed by reliable sources that the Syria Democratic Forces handed over the bodies of 9 fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions who were killed in the clashes, which broke out yesterday afternoon between both parties in the vicinity of Ein Daqneh area east of Menagh airbase in the northern countryside of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory learned that the bodies were delivered from the Syria Democratic Forces to the Kurdish Red Crescent, after Russian mediation that took place by a request from the Turkish Forces; in an attempt to hand over the bodies and extract corpses and other injured fighters.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented in the first 24 hours of the clashes, which began on Monday noon the 17th of July 2017, SOHR documented the death of 15 fighters of the faction in the clashes, as well as the injury of 4 fighters of the Syria Democratic forces, one of them is seriously injured, while a fighter was captured by Syria Democratic Forces, also a member of the gunmen loyal to the regime was captured, he was one of the members who were deployed earlier to carry out the agreement of the de-escalation and contact-prevention in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
Reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that Russia is now acting as an intermediary between the Turkish forces and the factions on one hand and the SDF on the other, after the Turkish informed the Russians that 5 of the Turkish Forces and 10 fighters of the factions got injured but the faction fighters could not secure their withdrawal or transport them from the battle field to receive treatment. Sources confirmed that the Russians began negotiations to get the injured out of the battlefield to receive treatment in an attempt to reach a temporary but comprehensive de-escalation agreement or to suspend the fighting in the position where the injured are. Moreover, several SDF fighters were injured and some of them are in a critical condition, whereas several faction fighters were killed in these clashes. These violent clashes follow continued preparations by the Turkish Forces and the factions backed by them for launching a military act that aims at regaining control over areas they lost late 2015 and early 2016 which extend from Mare’ to Deir Jamal. The factions said that such an act aims at “enabling tens of thousands of the displaced to return to their villages in the northern countryside of Aleppo”. It should be mentioned that Afrin area, its surroundings, and the SDF-controlled areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo have been witnessing during the past few days repeated bombardments by the Turkish Forces and the rebel and Islamic factions. The bombardments were accompanied by an exchange of targeting between the factions and the SDF with shells and heavy machine-guns, amid the tensions persisting in the area since the 20th of June 2017 near the Syrian-Turkish border following the entry of reinforcements of the Turkish Forces to the southern countryside of Izaz. The shelling during the last few days caused the death of 6 civilians and the injury of others, some of whom suffer from serious injuries.