The US Central Command has reported that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have successfully liberated a total of 344 square kilometers of territory near Manbij from Islamic State (ISIS) control since the beginning of their operation against that town last week.
“The Syrian Arab Coalition is leading the operation and will be responsible for securing Manbij once it is freed,” read the CENTCOM statement released on Tuesday.
CENTCOM added that throughout the course of their week old operation SDF fighters, supported by US-led coalition air power, have managed to destroy 108 ISIS positions, 31 vehicles and 17 heavy weapons.
The SDF is made-up of various different groups - Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens alike - who are fighting ISIS. The Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) are the largest group in the SDF.
Turkey is opposed to the YPG charging it with being directly linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which it is fighting in its own country at present. It has also been opposed to the YPG entering Syrian territory west of the Euphrates since it fears it will take the opportunity to takeover the entirety of Syria's northern border with Turkey.
The US has consequently assured Ankara that after the Manbij operation is complete only Arab members of the SDF will remain in Manbij after ISIS is forced from that strategically-important town.
“If the YPG want to provide logistical help east of the Euphrates that’s different, but after operations end, we don’t want a single YPG member west of the Euphrates,” said Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday.
The SDF force carrying out the Manbij operation reportedly consists of approximately 2,500 Arab members of the SDF backed up by 450 YPG soldiers.
Liberating Manbij from ISIS will enable the SDF to close off Syria's northwestern border with Turkey from ISIS and in doing so put more pressure on the groups main Syrian stronghold, the city of Raqqa.
“The Syrian Arab Coalition is leading the operation and will be responsible for securing Manbij once it is freed,” read the CENTCOM statement released on Tuesday.
CENTCOM added that throughout the course of their week old operation SDF fighters, supported by US-led coalition air power, have managed to destroy 108 ISIS positions, 31 vehicles and 17 heavy weapons.
The SDF is made-up of various different groups - Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens alike - who are fighting ISIS. The Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) are the largest group in the SDF.
Turkey is opposed to the YPG charging it with being directly linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which it is fighting in its own country at present. It has also been opposed to the YPG entering Syrian territory west of the Euphrates since it fears it will take the opportunity to takeover the entirety of Syria's northern border with Turkey.
The US has consequently assured Ankara that after the Manbij operation is complete only Arab members of the SDF will remain in Manbij after ISIS is forced from that strategically-important town.
“If the YPG want to provide logistical help east of the Euphrates that’s different, but after operations end, we don’t want a single YPG member west of the Euphrates,” said Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday.
The SDF force carrying out the Manbij operation reportedly consists of approximately 2,500 Arab members of the SDF backed up by 450 YPG soldiers.
Liberating Manbij from ISIS will enable the SDF to close off Syria's northwestern border with Turkey from ISIS and in doing so put more pressure on the groups main Syrian stronghold, the city of Raqqa.
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