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On Sunday, clashes broke out between two groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the al-Shmiyah Front and the Sultan Murad Division, in al-Homran area east of al-Bab city, according to Syrian opposition sources. The both FSA groups are a part of the Turkish-backed Euphrates Shield (ES) force.
According to Syrian opposition sources, the tensions have been growing between the al-Shmiyah Front and the Sultan Murad Division since October 10 after the al-Shmiyah Front handed over the Bab al-Salamah border crossing with Turkey to the pro-opposition Syrian Temporary Government (STG).
The Al-Shmiyah Front said in an official statement that the Sultan Murad Division rejected its decision to hand over the border crossing, and began massing its forces. On October 15, the Sultan Murad Division attacked positions of the al-Shmiyah Front in Al-Homran village on the front line with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the official statement.
Syrian opposition activists confirmed that the disagreement has mainly financial reasons. The Sultan Murad Division lost its share from the income of al-Salamah border. The activists added that the Syrian Islamic Council is working to solve the problem between the two FSA groups peacefully.
Lately, the ES-held areas in the northern Aleppo countryside was criticized by many sides for the high rates of crime and violent inside it because of a lack of the law and order. So far the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Police in ES areas has proven to be powerless against FSA groups.
In a related development, Kurdish sources claimed that the Turkish Army redeployed some of its unites from the northern Idlib countryside to new points near Hayyan and Haritan towns in the northern Aleppo countryside.
The sources also claimed that the Turkish Army deployed some of its units in the Taftanaz airbase in the eastern Idlib countryside. However, no official source has confirmed these claims so far.
The Turkish Army will likely continue its deployment around the SDF-held Afrin city in the northern Aleppo countryside until it fully isolates it from Idlib governorate.
