Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) have agreed on the transfer of control over the northeast city of Manbij in the Aleppo province to the Syrian army that will enter the city in the coming days, a Kurdish security source told Sputnik on Saturday.
“The agreement was reached, under which the Syrian Arab Republic’s army will enter the city of Manbij, controlled by the SDF,” the source said.
On January 20, the Turkish General Staff announced the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch, aimed against certain Kurdish forces, in Afrin. Ankara considers the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, and Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia affiliates of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) listed as a terror organization in Turkey.
Following the launch of the operation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara’s operation may be expanded to the city of Manbij and other Syrian regions bordering Turkey. Damascus has expressed its opposition to the Turkish operation, saying that such actions violated Syrian sovereignty.
Earlier, the Kurdish forces reported that 308 Turkish servicemen were killed since the start of the Olive Branch operation in Afrin. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed however, that Ankara could extend its third military advance, vowing to “completely clear the region of terrorists, beginning with Manbij and throughout our entire border.”
Source: Sputnik
753 - 753Shares
Be Civil
This is a Civilized Place for Public Discussion
Please treat this discussion with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.
These are not hard and fast rules, merely guidelines to aid the human judgment of our community and keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.
Make it better
Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
Now the hard part!
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.