ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—At least 21 villages located near the besieged town of Manbij have been captured from Islamic State (ISIS) in the operation that started last week which aims to push back the militants from the strategic town of Manbij in the country’s northwest. The spokespersons for the Kurdish People’s Protections Units (YPG) said that 8 fighters were killed in the offensive including the Kurdish guerilla “Abu Laila” who died after fatal injuries in a hospital in Sulaimani where he was taken for treatment. Unconfirmed reports say that 143 militants were killed in the bombing raids that continued throughout the five-day operation. US air power has pounded ISIS positions around Manbij ahead of the advance of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes YPG fighters. While the YPG make-up the backbone of the SDF the US has sought to assure Turkey that the majority of SDF troops taking part in the Manbij offensive are Arab members of that group. The US special envoy Brett McGurk praised the SDF advances toward the city in a tweet Sunday and expressed regret over the death of the Abu Leyla, also widely known as the “hero of Kobani” for his participation in the war against the militants in Syria. “Prayers with #FSA commander #AbuLeyla who lost his life in ongoing operations to liberate his hometown of #Manbij from #ISIL terrorists,” McGurk wrote in his tweet. The SDF launched the offensive against ISIS in Manbij last Wednesday. They seek to capture Manbij from ISIS and cut that group off from Syria’s northwestern border with Turkey. Turkey has long opposed the YPG going west of the Euphrates to fight ISIS since it fears the group would use the opportunity to link-up with its westernmost Afrin Canton and then dominate Syria’s border with Turkey. ISIS has meanwhile been advancing near that frontier, capturing several villages, surrounding the town of Marea and also gaining ground against Azaz. Turkish-backed groups in northwestern Syria have so far failed to halt ISIS’s advances in that region. The Manbij offensive coincides with another SDF offensive which is taking ground from ISIS and putting further pressure on its stronghold in Raqqa. At the same time Syrian military forces backed by Russian airstrikes have entered Raqqa province with the aim of recapturing the strategically important town of Tabqa, 40km west of the city of Raqqa.
