BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:10 P.M.) – The Turkish-backed militants launched a new attack this afternoon south of the border city of Tal Abyad in the Al-Raqqa Governorate’s northern countryside.
Led by the so-called “Syrian National Army”, the Turkish-backed militants stormed the defenses of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at a number of areas south of Tal Abyad.
According to early reports from the Al-Raqqa countryside, the Turkish-backed militants managed to capture the towns of Khirbat Fors, Al-Salibi, and Al-Alwat near the border city of Tal Abyad.
This advance by the Turkish-backed militants marks the first time since they captured the border city of Ras Al-‘Ayn that their forces have seized a new area in northern Syria.
On Sunday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced that they were withdrawing their troops from Ras Al-‘Ayn; this came after their troops were nearly besieged by the Turkish-backed militants.
“As part of the agreement to pause militaty operations with Turkey with American mediaition. Today, we have evacuated the city of Ras Al-Ain from all SDF fighters. We don’t have any more fighters in the city,” the spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces, Kino Gabriel, announced on Sunday.
The Syrian Democratic Forces have accused the Turkish military and their allies of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that was established last week.
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