Violent clashes erupted between the Syrian Arab Army and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias in Matiniya village in the Ain al-Arab countryside adjacent to the Turkish border east of Aleppo between 5:46 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. UTC on Jan. 26, 2026, according to Al-Sharqiya Official Reporter. Engineering units neutralized dozens of mines and IEDs planted by SDF-YPG in the Sarin region of eastern Aleppo countryside during the same period, as reported by X user QalaatAlMudiq. The Syrian Defense Ministry deployed Turkish-supplied MEMATT vehicles to clear the Tishreen Dam area, a former front line containing a vast minefield. These clashes follow Syrian forces' capture of Celebiye, Mebuca, and Abu Hayya on the Tel Abyad front south of Ayn al-Arab earlier on Jan. 26, after SDF withdrawal from the Lafarge cement factory, per X user BarracudaVol1 in prior reports. Demining efforts continue in SDF-held areas using similar vehicles previously employed from Hama to Deir Ezzor provinces.
