YPG withdraws forces from Manbij and heads for Raqqa
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced on Wednesday that they have withdrawn their forces from the northern Syrian city of Manbij after enabling local forces to protect the city, adding that the withdrawn units will join the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the operation to retake the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.
“We announce the withdrawal of our forces to east of the Euphrates to take part in the “the Wrath of the Euphrates” to liberate Raqqa.” the YPG General Command said in a statement.
The military operation to retake Raqqa from ISIS to oust the extremist group from its de facto capital was launched on November 6 on two fronts by an amalgam of fighters, including the YPG and its female counterpart YPJ, under the SDF flag.
Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition against ISIS confirmed the withdrawal on his twitter account.
Milestone: all #YPG units to depart Manbij & return east of Euphrates after local units complete training to maintain security after #ISIL.
— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) November 16, 2016
The SDF liberated Manbij in mid-August after a months-long campaign against ISIS.
The YPG said its units helped the international coalition in training the local forces, and has now handed over the security of the city to the Manbij Military Council.
"After the liberation, our units started to help the international coalition forces to prepare the forces that belong to the Manbij military council, which now has got enough military and security institutions, and has become capable of protecting the Manbij land and its people against all the dangers posed against it.”
Turkey, which considers the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan’s Workers’ Party (PKK), has repeatedly asked the Kurdish forces to withdraw from all areas west of the Euphrates, and has expressed its concerns to the US regarding its partnership with the SDF in their campaign against the ISIS militants.