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On February 20, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), preodominantly consisting of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), attacked pro-Turkish militant groups in the northern part of the Syrian province of Aleppo.
After a series of firefights SDF unist captured the town of Mariin near the Bab Al-Salamiyah border crossing at the Syrian-Turkish border.
Later at the same day, the so-called “Free Syrian Army”, a coalition of pro-Turkish militant groups, counter-attacked in the area, recapturing the town from the SDF.
Mariin is located near the strategic border town of Azaaz, which is an important logistical hub and a major stronghold of pro-Turkish militants in northern Syria.
The reent escalations between pro-Turkish forces and Kurdish units in Syria are clearly linked to Ankra’s continued efforts to “particiapte” in the ongoing SDF operation near the ISIS stronghold of Raqqah.
The Kurds in Afrin are a bit independent from the Kurds farther East and their ties with a the US are weak at best. So I doubt whether you can call them US backed.
Methinks unless they received air dropped weapons or supplies the Afrin Kurds basically have no ties to the US whatsoever. They’re basically surrounded by hostile Turks and Jihadi headchoppers on the payroll of the Turks on almost all sides, except for where they border Assad controlled territory. And I doubt they will get much US supplies through that.