The Syrian army will enter the SDF-held town of Ain Arab (Kobani) and Manbij within 48 hours following an agreement between the two sides, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Reuters also confirmed the report citing the Lebanese broadcaster al-Mayadeen which reported that the Syrian army would deploy within 48 hours to the town of Kobani which is held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the nearby town of Manbij which is controlled by SDF-aligned forces.

The towns fall within a swathe of northern Syria controlled by the SDF that is currently being targeted in an offensive by Turkey and Turkey-backed Syrian militant groups.

The UK-based war monitor also said on Sunday that at least 26 civilians were killed in northeastern Syria as Turkey stepped up its offensive against Kurdish forces, a war monitor said.

Among the casualties were 10 people killed in an air strike that hit a convoy of vehicles carrying civilians and journalists, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Earlier, the war monitor put the tally at 24 civilians.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) gained back control over most of the border city of Ras al-Ain, in a counterattack which killed 17 from Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces, said the war monitor.

AFP