fighting in the border areas between Turkish and Kurdish forces

The fighting is raging on Sunday in northern Syria, between Kurdish forces and Turkish military and their Syrian counterparts seeking to conquer border areas, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).

Since Wednesday's start of the Turkish offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia, more than 130,000 people have been displaced, the UN said, with international organizations warning of a new humanitarian tragedy in the country at war.

According to Turkish media reports, Ankara is seeking to control a 120-kilometer-long, 30-kilometer-long territorial border strip in northern Syria, stretching from the Kurdish towns of Tal Abyad to Ras al-Ain.

Near Tal Abyad, from "violent fighting"take place in the locality of Suluk, where Turkish forces and their Syrian counterparts conquered"sectorsAccording to the Observatory, Turkish air raids targeted the area.

An official of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters who controls large areas in the north and north-east of Syria, confirmed the fighting.

"The Turks are trying to take control, but there are violent clashes with our forces", he said.

On another front, in Ras al-Ain, Kurdish forces have pushed back the Turkish military and their Syrian auxiliaries, according to the OSDH. "Fighting continues on the western outskirts of Ras al-Ain".

Snipers

During the night violence, 17 protesters were killed in Ras al-Ain or by snipers of the Kurdish forces, as four FDS fighters, according to the Observatory.

Since Wednesday, 85 Kurdish fighters and 38 civilians have been killed in the violence, according to a latest assessment of the OSDH.

On Saturday, Ankara announced it had conquered Ras al-Ain, but the SDS and OSDH had denied.

"Ankara forces and protesters rebelled in several areas where they advanced the day before", according to the head of the SDS.

Another SDF official, stationed in Ras al-Ain, also reported the retreat of Turkish forces. The SDS has resorted to "underground tunnels"to take the assailant by surprise.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCH) announced Saturday night that "significant displacement continues to be reported in rural areas around Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain", with some "current estimates exceeding 130,000 people".

These displaced people have been housed in sheltered schools in towns and cities relatively unaffected by the violence, according to Ocha.