At least 26 killed as pro-Turkish forces launch offensive in Syria

At least 26 fighters were killed on Sunday as Turkish-backed Syrian forces launched an offensive in the Manbij region of northern Syria, days after seizing a Kurdish-held enclave, an NGO said.

Pro-Turkish fighters had already retaken the Kurdish enclave of Tal Rifaat last week, after rebels, backed by Turkey, launched a lightning offensive that led to their overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

"Pro-Turkish factions... have taken over large areas of the city of Manbij in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, after violent clashes with the Manbij Military Council," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The council is affiliated with the Kurdish-dominated, Washington-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls large areas of northeastern Syria.

"The clashes left nine pro-Turkish fighters dead and at least 17 members of the Manbij Military Council," according to the OSDH, which has a network of sources in Syria.

The SDF said military councils in Manbij and the nearby town of al-Bab were dealing "serious blows" to Turkish-backed fighters, citing "fierce clashes."

The Ankara-backed factions said they had "taken control of the city of Manbij east of Aleppo after fierce battles," in a statement posted on their Telegram channel.

These groups also released videos of fighters claiming to have taken Manbij, apparently from inside the area.

Earlier Sunday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi hailed a "historic moment" with the fall of Assad's "dictatorial regime."