MORE than 20 people have been killed in fighting in Aleppo province between the Kurdish-led Democratic Forces of Syria (DFS) alliance and jihadist groups supplied and backed by Turkey.

The fighting has flared up in the border area, where Ankara has proposed creating a so-called “safe” zone that would be off-limits to the Syrian army and to Kurdish People’s Protection Forces.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the conflict was concentrated near Azaz, close to the border with Turkey, reporting losses of 15 for the jihadists and eight for DFS.