In the northern Syrian city of Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) which has been occupied by the Turkish state and allied mercenaries since 2019, violent clashes erupted on Friday between the “Hamzat” mercenaries and the “Military Police” on the one hand, and mercenaries from different factions belonging to the Qaraan and Al-Aqidat tribes on the other hand.

According to the Hawar News Agency (ANHA), mercenaries engaged in clashes in the al-Kanais, Ahmed Kan and al-Kharabat areas with heavy weapons, resulting in deaths and injuries among the mercenaries, and leading to the death of a child and the injury of dozens of residents, including children and women.

Over 10 mercenaries reported to have been killed and injured during the course of the fighting were taken to hospitals in the occupied zone.

As a result of the clashes, 5 military vehicles belonging to mercenaries were destroyed. Reports are coming through of an intervention by the Turkish state forces to stop the fighting.

Residents of Serekaniye express serious concerns over the daily confrontations between the mercenary groups backed by the Turkish state.

The Kurdish town of Serêkaniyê is located on the border with Turkish territory and has been occupied since a war of aggression by Turkey in October 2019. The war at that time also resulted in the occupation of the town of Girê Spî (Tal Abyad), which lies to the west of Serêkaniyê. The Turkish army occupied the region with the help of its jihadist mercenary army, the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), chemical weapons and fierce air attacks. Since then, a regime of terror has ruled in the region.