A confrontation erupted between Turkish and Qatari-affiliated Islamist factions, the Hamzah Legion and Al-Rahman Corps (Faylaq al-Rahman), in Turkish-occupied Ras al-Ayn (Serekaniyê), part of Al-Hasakah (Hesekê) province in North and East Syria, Hawar News Agency reported. According to the report, the groups clashed over the distribution of smuggling profits, resulting in one fatality and three injuries.
Al-Khabar TV corroborated the news via local sources, confirming the dispute arose from a conflict over smuggling revenue. These sources further noted that both groups were armed and engaged in heavy machine gunfire in the centre of Ras al-Ayn.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported on the skirmish, describing armed clashes between members of the ‘National Army’ in the city’s centre. However, details on which faction the casualties belonged to remain unspecified.
Al-Rahman Corps, an Islamist group founded in 2012 by Nasser Shamir, is aligned with Qatar and active since the early stages of the Syrian crisis. Similarly, the Hamzah Division, established in 2013, is a Turkish-aligned Islamist faction operating in northwestern Syria alongside the Turkish Armed Forces.
Regions in North and East Syria under Turkish army control have become increasingly unstable, as mercenary groups continue to impose terror on local communities, seizing property and threatening security. Turkey-backed jihadist groups destabilising Syria, particularly in the north of the country, have been repeatedly accused of harming civilians and infrastructure.
