Turkey shuts border gate amid inter-rebels fight in northern Syria

KİLİS – Doğan News Agency

Turkey’s southern Öncüpınar border gate has been shut after two groups inside the Free Syrian Army (FSA) engaged in a fight over the control of the al-Selam border gate in Syria.

Two groups inside the FSA, the Levant Front al-Shamiyah group and the Sultan Murad group, which consists of Turkmens, started clashing on Nov. 14 over who will control the al-Selam border gate, which is located in the Azaz district of the Aleppo governorate. 

The al-Selam border gate lies opposite to Turkey’s southern province of Kilis’ Öncüpınar border gate. 

The sound of guns and cannon were heard and smoke coming from the clashes was also visible from Kilis. 

Kilis Gov. İsmail Çataklı said humanitarian and commercial crossings were temporarily suspended at the gate citing security. 

Measures to contain safety in the region were also taken at the border line. 

Ankara-backed FSA fighters have been fighting in northern Syrian as part of Turkey’s Euphrates Shield operation since Aug. 24, in order to free Turkey’s border with Syria from militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).