
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:30 A.M.) – The last batch of fighters from the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) has left the key town of Manbij in northern Aleppo, the Manbij Military Council reported this morning.
The withdrawal of the YPG fighters from Manbij began on July 4th and continued up until July 16th.
With the withdrawal of the YPG forces in Manbij, the town itself will now be patrolled by the Turkish and U.S. armies, with the Manbij Military Council of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) handling the civil governance.
The YPG was ultimately forced to leave Manbij after an agreement was put in place between the U.S. and Turkish forces in early June.
Turkish and U.S. troops were seen moving towards Manbij after the agreement and eventually patrolling the entire area around this important town.
Turkey had repeatedly complained about the YPG presence inside of Manbij and even threatened to launch a military operation to expel the Kurdish-led force from the town.
However, despite the Turkish presence, the Manbij Military Council has warned that they will not allow rebel groups to take hold of the town.
63 - 63Shares
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.