On June 15, fighters of the al-Shamiya Front stormed a children playground in the northern city of Azaz and clashed with fighters of the Northern Storm Brigade, according to the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi.
A video released by Syrian opposition activists on June 17 shows that the playground was full with children and women during the clashes between the two groups. Local civilians attempted to evacuate the children and to stop the clashes, while the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Police (FSP) stood on the side watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqVgtWgLh-Q
Both the al-Shamiya Front and the Northern Storm Brigade are backed by Turkey, which is yet to comment on this horrifying incident.
From its side, the Northern Storm Brigade claimed that it has disarmed and suspended five of its fighters who participated in Azaz’s playground clashes. However, these claims were not confirmed by any pro-opposition activists on the ground.
During the last two months, the Turkish-held areas in northern Syria witnessed a series of clashes between different Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups. This latest incident is considered to be the most dangerous so far, and proves that these areas lacks any form of security.
Opposition activists hold Turkey responsibility for the current chaos in northern Syria, as the Turkish military continues to allow FSA fighters to move freely with their weapons in the civilian areas. According to several reports, many of these Turkish-backed fighters are former jihadists or even gang members.
