On September 16, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced that its cells in the northern Syrian region of Afrin had assassinated a fighter of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) near the village of Birbna in the district of Rajo.
Two days earlier, YPG cells killed a fighter of the Sham Legion in a similar attack also around Birbna. Furthermore, two FSA personnel were killed when Kurdish fighters targeted their vehicle with an IED in the district of Maabatli.
The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies have stepped up their security measures in Afrin since the beginning of this month to counter the threat of YPG cells. On September 14, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced that it captured nine members of YPG and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during a special operation in the region.
The YPG shifted its strategy from a direct confrontation to a guerrilla tactic after the fall of the city of Afrin to the Turkish military earlier this year. The Kurdish group hopes that this new strategy will force Turkey to reconsider its approach toward the occupation of Afrin.