BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:40 P.M.) – The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army announced this afternoon the capture of its first two towns in the Tal Abyad countryside after a brief battle with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
According to the militant group’s statement, their troops captured the towns of Al-Yabsa and Tal Fandar near Tal Abyad in the northern countryside of the Al-Raqqa Governorate.
The Syrian National Army said this is the first two towns that they have captured since the start of the Turkish Army’s large-scale operation against the Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.
Earlier in the day, pro-militant media activists alleged that the Turkish Army had captured several sites east of Tal Abyad; however, both the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian government denied these claims.