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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| US Special Forces active in Manbij offensive, says YPG official |
| 2016-06-08 |
| [RUDAW.NET] A group of US military advisers have taken part in the ongoing operation to retake the strategic town of Manbij in northeast of Syria, which started last week, says the spokesperson of the Manbij military council, Sharvan Darwesh. Darwesh, who is also a member of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), told Rudaw that the US team led the intensive aerial attacks on ISIS positions in and around the besieged city. An additional 250 US troops were deployed to Syria last month to coordinate with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a military umbrella group which also includes the YPG. There are currently some 5,000 US troops in Iraq and around 500 in neighboring Syria. "ISIS defense lines were effectively weakened after repeated coalition "If we continue as planned, our troops should be in the city in two weeks," he added. Manbij, with a population of 80,000, is regarded as a strategic town due to its location in the northwestern corner of the country located between ISIS held Aleppo in the south and Jarablus in the north. The city is some 50 kilometers from the Kurdish controlled Kobani and if retaken from ISIS, it could facilitate an integration of the two cantons of Kobani and Afrin in the northwest, currently separated by ISIS held territories. ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has been a vocal opponent to YPG control of the region fearing it could strengthen the Kurdish guerrillas grip on the bordering areas. It has occasionally shelled the advancing YPG forces in northwest of Syria near its own borders. Ankara has shown more restraint in the ongoing operations in Manbij after US officials reportedly gave assurances that the YPG forces would retreat from the area after the operation. |
| Posted by:Fred |