It appears that the Manbij operation, which spanned the river, came with USA assurances meant to keep Turkey from attacking the Kurdish forces.
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“We announce. the creation of the Al-Bab Military Council” tasked with driving IS from the town in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters in a statement, two days after driving the last jihadists from Manbij.
Manbij was a key transit point for ISIL fighters going into both Syria and Iraq, and for its external operators plotting attacks against us allies and partners and the United States, the secretary said. Upon defeat, Daesh terrorists freed hundreds of civilians used by the extremists as human shields while retreating in northern Syria, U.S. -backed forces and a monitor said Saturday. Whether the Kurds will stick to this and withdraw, and how ISIS will be kept from simply retaking the city, remains to be seen. The capture of Tal Abyad deprived the militant group of a direct route to bring in new foreign militants or supplies. Approaching the city from the west bank of the Euphrates, the SDF and PYD besieged the city for two months.The liberation of Manbij is important as it will cut off Daesh militants’ key lines of communication between the Turkish border and Raqqa, Daesh’s self-declared capital.However, Ankara does not recognize the PYD as a legitimate Syrian opposition movement.
People were also happy in the city that Daesh fighters, who had taken 2,000 hostages, released some of them as they escaped for Jarabulus, the last major border town they hold.
Carter also said the work of rebuilding the city must now begin.
A former resident of the city said he had reports from family members that the Kurdish YPG, who are the dominant group within the SDF, had rounded up dozens of young men before screening them because of concerns that some of them belonged to sleeper cells.
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This article was originally published by Middle East Eye and is reprinted here with permission.
