Syrian Kurds displaced as Turkish-backed forces advance in northeast

Syrian Kurds have been fleeing areas in the northeastern region after a coalition of rebels led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported by Turkey seized swathes of the area over the last few days.

The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said earlier on Monday that it was seeking to evacuate Kurdish civilians around Aleppo province to areas it controls. 

A UK-based Syria war monitor said  "The first convoy carrying people displaced from Al-Shuhabaa area and Tel Refaat City in northern Aleppo countryside towards areas of the 'Autonomous Administration' in Al-Tabaka City in Al-Raqqa countryside," on Monday. 

"A small batch of people has arrived in Tabqa. The remaining displaced people will arrive successively within hours," SDF spokesman Farhad Shami told AFP.

He said a convoy of about 200 vehicles was headed for the Kurdish-held town.

Members of the Peoples' Defense Forces (YPG), the military wing of the SDF, were also withdrawing towards Manbij and Raqqa, areas in northern and eastern Syria.

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi described the developments in northwestern Syria as "rapid and unexpected," highlighting intensified attacks from various sides. He said, “We intervened to open a humanitarian corridor between our eastern territories, Aleppo, and Tal Rifaat after the collapse of Syrian government forces and their allies.”

Opposition factions, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and bolstered by foreign fighters and heavy weaponry, launched a large-scale offensive last week. The assault, described as the most extensive in years, has resulted in territorial gains in northern Syria, including large parts of Aleppo, its international airport, and strategic areas in Idlib and Hama provinces.

Syrian regime forces, aided by key ally Russia, launched a counterattack and vowed to restore “retake all Syrian territory and continue military operations at full scale."

Syrian government forces said on Monday and Tuesday they had regained control of several towns previously overrun by opposition fighters. 

On Tuesday, unconfirmed reports said rebels reached Al-Rahjan Village and Al-Saan Village in Hama, before regime forces recaptured it. Rebels were reportedly still present at the vicinity of both villages.

Iranian-backed groups entered Syria from Iraq and headed to northern Syria to beef up Syrian army forces battling a coalition of rebels, according to two Syrian army sources. Hezbollah from Lebanon have reportedly not deployed to Syria. 

The counter-operations by Syria and Russia have killed dozens of civilians and displaced around 50,000 people since last Wednesday.