Turkish forces shell villages in Afrin and northern of Aleppo after the death, injury and capture of a large number of members of both parties in the first round of clashes
Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Places in Hayyan town in the northern countryside of Aleppo were shelled by the regime forces, while a shell landed on area in the outskirts of Jam’eyyat Al-Zahra’a neighborhood at the western outskirts of Aleppo city, no information about casualties, while places in Barsaya area in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo were shelled by the Turkish forces, accompanied by continued Turkish shelling on areas controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo, between Marea city and Deir Jamal area, amid the continuation of clashes between the Syria Democratic Forces against the Turkish-backed factions in areas in the vicinity of Ein Daqneh area east of Menagh airbase, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the clashes that have been taking place since the afternoon of the 17th of July have killed at least 11 fighters of the factions and their bodies are with the Syria Democratic forces while others were injured, and confirmed information about the death and injury of more persons including Turkish nationality persons, also 4 fighters of Syria Democratic Forces were injured and one of them in in critical condition, also a fighter of the factions was captured by Syria Democratic Forces, also a member of the pro-regime gunmen who were deployed earlier to apply the de-escalation and contact-prevention agreement in the northern countryside of Aleppo was captured.
Reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Russia entered as an intermediary between the Turkish forces and the factions, and between the Syria Democratic Forces after Turkey’s report for the Russians about the presence of 5 injuries of the Turkish forces as well as about 10 other injured persons of the factions, of whom the faction fighters were not able to securing their withdrawal or transferring them from the battlefield to receive treatment, the sources confirmed that the Russians began to mediate to extract the injuries and transported them to receive treatment, by reaching a comprehensive or temporary calming; or by stopping the fight at the location of the wounded, also fighter of the Syria Democratic Forces were injured and some of them are in serious condition, while several fighters of the factions were killed in the clashes.
The violent clashes came after preparations of the Turkish forces and their backed factions to begin a military operation with the aim to regain control over areas they lost late 2015 and early 2016 in the areas located between Mara’ city and Deir Jamal area, and the factions also said that their aim of these operations is to “return tens of thousands of internally displaced people to their villages, from which they have displaced in the northern countryside of Aleppo”.
It worth mentioning that the shelling in the past few days by the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions and the exchange of targeting between the factions and SDF has killed 6 citizens and injured others, some of whom were critically injured.