BEIRUT (AP) — Groups of Syrian fighters paid by Turkey are sowing fear and chaos in northeastern Syria, parading Kurdish captives in front of cameras and, in one graphic video, firing several rounds into a man lying on the side of a highway with his hands bound behind his back.

They are part of the self-styled Syrian National Army, shock troops in Turkey's offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces who were abandoned last week after President Donald Trump pulled U.S. troops from northern Syria.

The Syrian fighters are trained and funded by Turkey and present themselves as heirs to the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

While they include some Islamic extremists and former Syrian rebels, many are Arab and Turkmen fighters who hate the Kurds and have a reputation for violence and looting.