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Several members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkish-backed militant groups were killed or injured in a series of attacks by unknown gunmen in the Syrian provinces of Homs and Raqqa.
According to Syrian state media, gunmen riding a motorcycle shelled a position of Turkish-backed forces in the vicinity of al-Zibakiya village in the northern part of Raqqa province. At least one Turkish-backed militant was reportedly killed.
In a separate development at least one SDF member was killed by unknown persons near the farms’ roundabout in Raqqa city, and another one was injured in an attack on the road between Darnaj and al-Tayyana towns in eastern Deir Ezzor.
Pro-SDF sources often blame attacks on their forces in northeastern Syria on ISIS and Turkish proxies, while Turkey prefers to blame the SDF, the Kuridsh People’s Protection Units (YPG; the main group in the SDF) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK; linked with the YPG).
On the other hand, the attention of Syrian state media to these attacks may indicate that Damascus would like to paint them as a kind of local resistance to the occupation forces.
