Thirteen fighters from the Liberation and Construction Movement (LBM), part of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), were killed in an infiltration operation conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province.
According to an Enab Baladi reporter in the Aleppo countryside, the attack occurred on the al-Buweij axis in Manbij’s outskirts. In addition to the fatalities, several other fighters were injured, and one remains unaccounted for.
A military source within the Liberation and Construction Movement, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on media communication, confirmed the losses, stating that the operation resulted in five injuries and one missing member.
Although the SDF has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, the Afrin Liberation Forces—a military group asserting independence from the SDF—claimed responsibility for similar operations in the al-Bab and Afrin countryside.
Civilian Casualties Amid Escalating Clashes
The clashes were accompanied by rocket and artillery exchanges between SDF and SNA-controlled areas, resulting in civilian casualties. The Syrian Civil Defence reported one civilian killed and 14 injured in rocket shelling originating from SDF- and Syrian regime-held areas targeting neighbourhoods in al-Bab city in eastern Aleppo.
On the other side, the SDF-affiliated Hawar News Agency reported one civilian killed and seven others, mostly children, injured in Turkish shelling over the past 12 hours. The shelling, concentrated on Manbij and Afrin countryside, reportedly affected 13 villages, towns, and cities.
Mahmoud Hourani, a researcher at the Jusoor for Studies Centre, explained that such operations are characteristic of guerrilla warfare, involving ambushes, raids, and sniping. He noted that these tactics are often employed by local factions against rivals for political reasons or to create attrition rather than to seize territory.
Hourani suggested that regional and international powers, which influence Syria’s fragmented battlefronts, aim to stabilize areas of control. Attacks like these, conducted by the SDF or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in western Syria, are generally intended to weaken opponents without altering territorial boundaries.
Such lightning operations are designed to avoid the logistical and defensive challenges associated with capturing new territory. Instead, they focus on inflicting maximum losses while minimizing risks to the attacking force.
This latest escalation highlights the ongoing volatility in northern Syria, where overlapping interests of regional and international actors continue to fuel conflict.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
