At least two Turkish-backed rebels were killed on Wednesday in clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the northern Syrian city of Manbij, according to reports from a conflict monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, confirmed that the incident occurred in the Manbij countryside, east of Aleppo. “Two members of the Syrian National Army factions were killed, and two others were injured with varying degrees of severity following a confrontation with the Manbij Military Council forces,” the monitor reported.

The clashes are part of escalating hostilities between Kurdish-led forces and Turkish-backed militants in the region. The SOHR also noted that an SDF fighter and two civilians were injured during the confrontation.

The Manbij Military Council, a local force associated with the SDF, is responsible for maintaining security in the predominantly Arab city of Manbij. In Kurdish-controlled areas of northern and northeastern Syria, security is managed through military councils led by local forces to maintain regional stability and address potential Arab discontent.

Manbij holds strategic importance due to its location at the crossroads of Aleppo, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-administered northeast. Turkey has long regarded Manbij as a crucial target for its military ambitions in Syria. In 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan identified the city and Tal Rifaat as key targets for Turkey’s planned 30-kilometer “safe zone” along its southern border.

Ankara accuses the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF, of being the Syrian extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist organization. Since 2016, Turkey and its allied forces have conducted three major military operations in northern Syria, capturing key towns such as Afrin, Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain), and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) from Kurdish forces.