Kurds, jihadists battle in northern Syria

Activists report casualties in clashes between Jabhat al-Nusra and Kurdish militiamen in town of Yaaroubiyeh

By AP 25 October 2013, 1:56 pm

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Rebels from the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra sit on a truck full of ammunition, at Taftanaz air base, which was captured by the rebels, in Idlib province, northern Syria in 2013 (photo credit: AP/Edlib News Network, ENN)

BEIRUT — A Syrian activist group reported that Kurdish gunmen battled jihadi rebels in a northeastern town on the border with Iraq.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Kurdish militiamen entered Yaaroubiyeh on Friday and clashed with several jihadi groups there, including al-Qaeda-linked factions Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Observatory says the clashes have left casualties on both sides, but gave no specifics. Another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, says at least two were killed.

Clashes between Kurdish fighters and jihadis in northern Syria have killed hundreds of people in the past months.

Rebel-held Yaaroubiyeh is located at one of the main border crossing points into Iraq. In March, gunmen killed 51 Syrian soldiers after they crossed into Iraq from Yaaroubiyeh.