Syrian National Army police clashes with peaceful protesters in al-Bab
The police of the Syrian National Army assaulted protesters near the city of al-Bab following civil protests calling for controlling the security situation in the city and holding the killers of a prominent activist accountable.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said on its official Twitter page, “It’s payback time,” in reference to last week’s attack in Istanbul that Turkey blamed on Syrian Kurdish forces, threatening more escalation.
Fighters from the Syrian National Army (SNA) affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) assaulted Nov. 16 civilians protesting in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo. The protesters were calling for holding accountable the killers of media activist Mohammed Abdul Latif, nicknamed Abu Ghannoum, and his pregnant wife, purportedly shot dead by members of Al-Hamza Division, an armed opposition group linked to the SNA, in October.
On Oct. 7, Abu Ghannoum was killed in the city of al-Bab after he had repeatedly criticized Al-Hamza Division and exposed several corruption cases among the SNA.
The protests coincided with a series of Turkish airstrikes against various areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the countryside of Aleppo and in Raqqa on the evening of Nov. 19.
