Syria arrests Turkish-backed militants planning terror attacks

Syrian Kurdish officials have arrested a group of Turkish-backed militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), who was apparently plotting new terror attacks in the country’s northern province of Aleppo on orders from Turkey's intelligence agency (MIT).

“Counter-terrorism units of the Manbij Military Council (MMC) have disbanded a cell, comprising of seven militants who ... were supported by the Ankara government and were acting in full coordination with MIT,” the MMC said in a statement on Thursday.

It added, “They were planning several explosions and acts of terror.”

The statement went on to say that large amounts of weapons and munitions, including grenades, Kalashnikov assault rifles and Chiappa Firearms M6 M6 rifles was seized from the militants.

The development came a day after at least four US servicemen and 14 other people were killed following a massive bomb explosion, which struck near a patrol of the US-led coalition forces purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Manbij.

Reuters, citing an unnamed US military official, reported that three other American troops were also wounded in the Wednesday afternoon blast.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) identified nine of the fatalities as civilians, adding that the rest were members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Britain-based monitor added that the blast targeted the al-Ummara restaurant in the center of Manbij on Wednesday afternoon.

The Observatory noted that the death toll is expected to rise as some of the wounded victims are in critical condition.

SS