Idlib, Sep 18 (AP) A Kurdish-led force attacked Turkish-backed opposition fighters in northern Syria on Monday, killing at least 13 of the militants, activists said.

The opposition activists blamed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for carrying out the assault, though the U.S.-backed group did not claim responsibility.

Also Read | Missing F-35 Fighter Jet Latest Update: Military Searches Near South Carolina Lakes for Fighter Jet Whose Pilot Safely Ejected.

Turkiye says Syria's main Kurdish militia is allied with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, that has led an insurgency against Turkey since 1984 that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Turkiye since 2016 has conducted three major incursions into northern Syria to clear areas under Kurdish control and create a buffer zone near its border. Since then, the two groups have routinely clashed, while Turkiye has also conducted airstrikes and drone attacks on targets in Kurdish-controlled areas.

Also Read | Is Eritrea Stoking Conflicts Between Its Migrants Abroad?.

According to opposition activists, SDF forces tried to infiltrate the opposition-controlled city of Tal Battal in northern Aleppo province, attacking positions belonging to Turkish-backed militants and the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al Sham.

Meanwhile, the Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the death toll was at 14. According to the Observatory, mines exploded during the attack that took place at dawn.

The SDF has been the main U.S. ally in Syria in the campaign against the Islamic State group that was defeated on the battlefield in the war-torn country in March 2019.

The U.S. has some 900 troops in eastern Syria backing SDF forces in targeting militant Islamic State group sleeper cells. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)