Asia/South Asia
5 years ago

Syrian military takes control of Manbij

A file photo showing Syrian Democratic Forces and US troops seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria recently	— Reuters
A file photo showing Syrian Democratic Forces and US troops seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria recently — Reuters

Published :

Updated :

Syria's military says it has taken control the flash-point Kurdish-held town of Manbij, where Turkey has threatened offensive, reports AP.

The announcement Friday came shortly after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent an attack.

The development signals the two sides have agreed to the new arrangement.

It's not clear what happens to the US troops who patrolled the town and tense front line between Manbij and adjacent towns where Turkey-backed fighters were based.

Turkey, which views the Kurdish militia as a terrorist group, had threatened a military operation against Manbij.

The threats triggered the US announcement it would withdraw troops from Syria.

The Syrian military said it was responding to calls from residents of Manbij and promised safety for all living there.

A Reuters report adds: US President Donald Trump's declaration in a phone call with Tayyip Erdogan that he was pulling US troops from Syria has stunned Turkey and left it scrambling to respond to the changing battlefield on its southern border.

In the phone call two weeks ago, Trump had been expected to deliver a standard warning to the Turkish president over his plan to launch a cross-border attack targeting US-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, US officials say.

Instead, in the course of the conversation Trump reshaped US policy in the Middle East, abandoning a quarter of Syrian territory and handing Ankara the job of finishing off Islamic State in Syria.

"Trump asked: 'If we withdraw our soldiers, can you clean up ISIS?'", a Turkish official told Reuters. He said Erdogan replied that Turkish forces were up to the task.

Share this news