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At least five fighters from the Turkish-backed "Syrian National Army" (SNA) were killed on Saturday night after being ambushed by Kurdish forces near the northern Syrian city of Afrin.Ìý

Fighters from the Kurdish-ledÌýSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF), launched an operation targeting positions held by Turkish-backed groups in the vicinity of Afrin.Ìý

°®Âþµºâ€™s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported a fierce exchange of fire between the SNA and SDF after the latter infiltrated the Anab and Maryamin junctions near Afrin.Ìý

Clashes also erupted between the Manbij Military Council (MMC), a faction of the SDF, the Syrian National Army factions near the SDF-held city of Manbij east of Aleppo. Ìý

Kurdish media reported that the Turkish-led group suffered significant losses and casualties as a result of the clash. Ìý

Elsewhere in Syria, a Turkish drone struck a car near the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane, killing one person at least.

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Afrin, a town and district in the Kurdish region of northern Syria, became a focal point of conflict in 2018 when Turkish forces and allied Syrian fighters launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF. Ìý

The operation resulted in the displacement of much of the Kurdish population, with Turkish authorities subsequently resettling displaced Arabs from other parts of Syria into the homes vacated by the fleeing Kurds.Ìý

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).Ìý

The PKK has been engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish government, fighting for greater Kurdish autonomy. Ìý

Ankara designates both the PKK and YPG as terrorist organisations, despite the YPG's role in the fight against Islamic State (IS) alongside US forces.Ìý

In the aftermath of the 2018 operation, Afrin has seen sporadic hit-and-run attacks carried out by the Afrin Liberation Forces (HRE), a Kurdish group that targets Turkish-backed forces operating in the region.Ìý