PYD fighters from the Syrian arm of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) clashed with the militants in the town of Atma on Wednesday. Reports say seven militants were killed.
Two PKK members also died when mortar shells were fired on the outskirts of the city of Jandari.

The battles have escalated in the north and northeastern of Syria after Kurdish fighters, who are opposed to foreign interference in Syria, managed to push back militants from several positions in the region.

On July 30, a powerful Kurdish group said it was mobilizing against al-Qaeda-linked militants in northeastern Syria after a Kurdish opposition leader was killed in the area.

Kurds make up about ten percent of Syria’s population of about 21 million.

Over the past few months, foreign-backed militants have been trying to take over Syria’s Kurdish regions near Turkey.

According to figures collected by the United Nations, over 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million displaced in Syria due to the turmoil that erupted in the country in March 2011.