The Turkish military fired on U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria this weekend, illuminating the tangle of competing interests and alliances in Syria in the wake of the government’s collapse. Fighting erupted on Saturday in Manbij, a Kurdish-controlled city near Syria’s border with Turkey, between rebel groups, one backed by the United States and the other by Turkey. At least 22 members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were killed in and around Manbij. The Syrian National Army was supported in their assault of Manbij by Turkish air power, including warplanes, according to a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces. ​​Turkey and the United States are allies, sworn to protect each other as members of the NATO alliance. Though both countries celebrated Sunday’s ouster of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, their interests diverge over support for the Kurds in northern Syria. In their call on Sunday, Mr. Austin and Mr. Guler agreed that coordination was necessary “to prevent further escalation of an already volatile situation, as well as to avoid any risk to U.S. forces and partners.”

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