Violent clashes erupted Feb. 22 between members of the civilian police and security forces on the one hand and the military police on the other in Syria’s city of Afrin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, under the control of Turkish-backed Syrian factions. Two members of the civilian police and a woman were injured in the infighting.

A displaced person from eastern Ghouta who witnessed the incident told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that a fistfight first erupted between members of the civilian police and the military police before it culminated in a shootout near Al-Mowasalat Street in the center of Afrin. Another clash erupted nearby between people standing in queues to receive aid, he added.

The source said each of the fighting factions called for reinforcements to the scene to contain the violence. Reports later circulated that those who initiated the clashes were arrested, according to the source. 

This is not the first case of infighting between the Syrian factions allied with Turkey in north Syria. There have been several deadly incidents leading to casualties in the past period. Most recently, two members of the Syrian National Army were killed during clashes between the army’s factions Feb. 12 in the Aleppo countryside.