The US is "taking all necessary measures" to defend the Syrian city of Manbij in the Aleppo Governorate, 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates, which is currently under control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), from an attack by the Turkish Armed Forces and fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the SDF representative told Sputnik Turkiye.

In particular, he said, US servicemen have set up a military base in the city and are sending an additional contingent there. They are also deploying heavy weaponry and armored vehicles to the area.

Alongside setting up the military base in Manbij, the US is deploying servicemen and armaments to the northern and western parts of the city.

"Turkey and the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) are getting ready for an attack on Manbij, and so we are getting ready to defend the city and are in constant talks with our ally, the US," the SDF representative told Sputnik.

He further explained that last week they had a meeting with Joseph Votel, the commander of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), during which they discussed a security threat to Manbij coming from Turkey.

"In his turn, Votel assured us that the American side will take all necessary measures to prevent an attack by Turkish forces on the city," he added.

The SDF representative further noted that US servicemen will be holding talks with representatives from Turkey and added that the US intends to increase its contingent in Manbij, sending heavy weaponry and tanks there in order to shore up the city's defenses.

Just two days after their meeting with Votel, the US set up a military base in the city to be able to defend it from an attack by Turkish armed forces. The US flag was flown above the base.

Flying the flag, he said, is a message, a warning to Turkey that the city is under the defense of the US.

In addition, he said, armored vehicles under the US flag have been deployed in the north of the city. US servicemen have been also deployed to its western areas. On Tuesday they sent more tanks and armored vehicles to Manbij and promised that the city will also be under the defense of the US-led coalition forces.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed! </s> The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia called on the government of President Bashar al-Assad on Friday to take control of Manbij to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks.

BEIRUT: The Syrian army said it had deployed forces to Manbij in northwest Syria on Friday, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks.

A resident said the forces had not entered the town, where U.S. troops operate and have a military base. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said the government forces were stationed out the outskirts, between the town and territory under Turkish influence.

U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw troops from Syria has alarmed the Kurdish-led fighters who have fought Islamic State alongside them for years.

Kurdish leaders are scrambling for a strategy to protect their region stretching across the north and east, where the presence of some 2,000 U.S. troops has so far deterred an incursion by Turkey, which deems the YPG a threat to its own territory and has vowed to crush it.

A deployment of government forces, backed by Russia, is likely to have a similar effect.

With the YPG at its forefront, the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.

The town is held by the Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, and abuts territory held by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels who have been mobilising for an assault.

U.S. military support for the Kurdish fighters has infuriated Turkey, a fellow member of the NATO alliance, which sees the YPG as an extension of the PKK movement that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey for decades.

A Turkish-backed rebel official said the plan to attack SDF territory remained in force. "There is no Syrian soldier inside Manbij town from the regime's forces," said Major Youssef Hamoud, spokesman for the National Army rebel force.

He said his forces were waiting for Washington and Ankara to agree on how U.S. forces would leave Manbij.

The Syrian military statement said troops had raised the national flag in Manbij on Friday and would guarantee security "for all Syrian citizens and others present."

The resident inside the town said nothing had changed and he had not seen any such flags.

The YPG says its fighters previously withdrew from Manbij to fight Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria.

"So we invite the Syrian government, to which we belong, ... to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats," it said on Friday. </s> BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army said it entered Manbij on Friday for the first time in years, after the Kurdish YPG milita urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks.

It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in the town, where U.S. forces operate and have a military base.

With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.

The Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, hold the town in northern Syria, which lies on a front with Turkey-backed rebels. Ankara deems the Kurdish YPG fighters a threat and has vowed to crush them.

The Syrian army said in its statement on Friday that its troops had raised the national flag in Manbij and would guarantee security “for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area”.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the troops had deployed only along the edges of Manbij, standing between the town and Turkey’s rebel allies.

President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to pull out some 2,000 U.S. troops, whose presence has deterred Turkey, has alarmed the SDF, which controls much of northern and eastern Syria.

The YPG says its fighters previously withdrew from Manbij to fight Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria.

“So we invite the Syrian government which we belong to...to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats,” it said on Friday. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption The Manbij Military Council is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance

A US-allied Syrian militia has said it will hand over villages west of the town of Manbij to the army in order to stop Turkish-backed rebels taking them.

The Manbij Military Council, part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, announced it had "transferred defence of the frontline".

The move came after a deal was agreed with Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, it added.

The villages have been a focus of fighting in recent days.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government or Turkey, whose troops have been supporting a rebel offensive aimed at driving Islamic State militants from a border area north-west of Manbij and limiting gains by Kurdish fighters.

Syria's military has accused Turkey of a "flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty".

Since launching Operation Euphrates Shield in August, the Turkish-backed rebels have captured more than 1,900 sq km (734 sq miles), according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

After they captured the IS stronghold of al-Bab last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that the rebels would next move towards Manbij.

Mr Erdogan also said the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia, which dominates the SDF and the Turkish government considers an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), should be forced to withdraw.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Turkish-backed Syrian rebels drove IS militants out of the town of al-Bab last month

The YPG captured Manbij from IS militants in August, but it agreed three months later to move its forces east of the River Euphrates after setting up the Manbij Military Council with local Arabs.

But Mr Erdogan rejected claims by the US that Kurdish fighters had left.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council told Reuters news agency that a string of eight villages about 27km (17 miles) west of Manbij that it controlled had come under heavy artillery bombardment by the Turkish-backed rebels and that there had been fierce clashes.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Turkey's president has said the rebels will move towards Manbij from al-Bab

One SDF fighter and two Turkish-backed rebels were killed in the fighting, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Thursday, the Manbij Military Council said in a statement that defending the town and countering Turkey's "invasion plan" were among its objectives.

It had therefore "agreed with Russia to hand over villages on the frontline with Euphrates Shield... to the border guards of the Syrian state", the statement added.

Syrian government forces are deployed just to the south of al-Bab and were involved in clashes with the Turkish-backed rebels shortly before the town fell.

In a separate development, the commander of the US-led coalition against IS said Russian aircraft had mistakenly bombed SDF fighters 16km (10 miles) south-west of Manbij, resulting in an unspecified number of casualties.

Lt Gen Stephen Townsend said the Russian military had thought it was bombing villages held by IS.

However, Russian media cited the Russian defence ministry as denying that Russian or Syrian aircraft had launched any strikes on US-backed forces. </s> The Syrian army entered Manbij for the first time in six years on Friday, after the Kurdish YPG milita urged the government to protect the city from the threat of Turkish attacks.

A Syrian army spokesman said in a televised statement that the national flag was raised in Manbij, a key northern city about 19 miles from the Turkish border.

The spokesman said the government would guarantee security 'for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area'.

The Kurds were left exposed last week when their key ally, the U.S, suddenly pledged to pull out its own troops.

The People's Protection Units (YPG) then asked for the Assad regime's help to face a threatened Turkish offensive.

The YPG, the main Kurdish militia in Syria, asked government forces to deploy in Manbij, an area it withdrew from earlier this year to fight Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria.

'We invite the Syrian government forces... to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particularly Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion,' the statement said.

It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in the town, where U.S. forces operate and have a military base.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the troops had deployed only along the edges of Manbij, standing between the town and Turkey's rebel allies.

With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.

The Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, hold the town in northern Syria, which lies on a front with Turkey-backed rebels.

President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to pull out some 2,000 U.S. troops, whose presence has deterred Turkey, has alarmed the SDF.

Turkey deems the Kurdish fighters a threat and has vowed to crush them.

Pro-Assad forces and Kurdish-led forces have fought each other elsewhere in Syria and the government opposes the Kurds' demands for autonomy. However, they have a common enemy and a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances.

The announcement that government troops had entered Manbij was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a 'positive step' that could help stabilize the situation. </s> ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that Turkey will not refrain from military action to protect its borders from what he describes as threats posed by Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The minister’s comments came a day after Turkey rejected U.S. national security adviser John Bolton’s demands for assurances that Ankara would protect U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria before American troops pull out from the region.

Turkey's rebuff amplified a rift between Ankara and Washington and raised new questions about how the United States would protect fighters who are U.S. allies in the war against the Islamic State group.

Cavusoglu told Turkey's parliamentary foreign affairs committee the U.S. was "struggling to withdraw" from Syria because it was too far engaged with the militia group.

In northern Syria, Russian military police and the al-Bab Military Council group began joint patrols in an area close to the front lines with Turkey-backed opposition fighters, according to the Kurdish Hawar news agency and a Kurdish official.

Al-Bab Military Council is allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that have been fighting the Islamic State group with the help of the U.S.-led coalition.

Sharfan Darwish of the Kurdish-led Manbij Military Council also confirmed the joint patrols near the Kurdish-held town of Manbij.

A representative of the military police told reporters Tuesday that Russia’s mission is to ensure safety in the Manbij area, and monitor moves of militant groups.

The area near Manbij was previously occupied by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces, who were forced to appeal to Syria and Russia amid fears of a Turkish attack.

Russia’s move came after U.S. President Donald Trump in December unexpectedly announced he would pull out 2,000 U.S. troops leaving strategic areas near Turkey’s border up for grabs. </s> The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are to hand over a massive section of their territory west of Manbij to the Syrian Arab Army in order to create a buffer zone against the Turkish Army and Turkey-led forces in northern Syria. The map above is an initial estimate of the area which will be handed over to pro-government forces and not official.

In recent days the Euphrates Shield operations room (a coalition of Turkey-led armed Islamist groups, backed by the Turkish Armed Forces) has launched an offensive against the the SDF in order to capture the strategic crossroads city of Manbij.

The ferocity of the new Euphrates Shield offensive against the SDF has incited the Manbij Military Council (MMC) to consider a local military cooperation agreement with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) which includes pro-government access to SDF territories in northern Syria.

The MMC has released the following statement on this decision:

“To reach these objectives [the defense of Manbij] we have transferred, after reaching a new alliance with Russia, the defence of the line to the west of Manbij – where the villages between us and the gang groups [FSA, Ahrar al-Sham] affiliated to the Turkish army are – to Syrian state forces.”

The area being handed over to the Syrian Arab Army will serve just as much as a political buffer zone as a military one. The true nature of the Erdogan regime’s ambitions in Syria will soon be revealed to the world based on whether it chooses to attack government-held areas or not. By choosing to commit to an offensive against pro-government forces, the Erdogan regime will demonstrate that it pursues an imperialist agenda in Syria in direct violation of the territorial sovereignty of that country and against the wishes of its legitimate government.

Advertisements </s> Earlier this week, the Manbij Military Council, which is part of the SDF, captured a FSA tank on the outskirts of the city, media reports said.

With armed clashed between the FSA and SDF on the increase, the civilian population has reportedly begun to flee the area and American soldiers and armored vehicles have been deployed to the north and west of Manbij.

"At least two people were injured after FSA forces carried out attacks on the villages of Gorheyi, Lasiye and Halda located 29 kilometers from Manbij.Prior to the attacks, Turkey actively bombarded these three villages using howitzers and heavy weapons. The attacks eventually escalated into armed clashes between the FSA and the Manbij Military Council," Hidar Menbic told Sputnik Turkey.

According to him, it's hard to say whether the Turkish soldiers are now directly involved in the clashes.

He drew attention to the fact that those FSA units which attacked the three villages are taking part in Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield against Daesh.

"By conducting these attacks, the forces involved in Operation Euphrates Shield are seeking to spark chaos in the region. They want to cause a sense of frustration and hopelessness among the people," Menbic said, stressing the Manbij Military Council's determination to oppose these plans.

He confirmed that the US servicemen have been deployed to Manbij in a bid to prevent clashes between the warring sides.

Menbic added that thus far, the US military had used arms against neither FSA forces nor Turkey.

The source said that the US set up its military base in the city and hung up its flag as a "warning sign" to Ankara.

The Syrian city of Manbij in Aleppo Governorate, 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates, is currently under control of the SDF, an American-backed group affiliated with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed! </s> BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army deployed forces near Manbij in northern Syria on Friday, a war monitor and a U.S. official said, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town, where U.S. forces operate, from the threat of a Turkish offensive.

A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel rides on a truck with a mounted weapon at Manbij countryside, Syria December 28, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Manbij, which U.S.-backed forces captured from Islamic State in 2016, has emerged as a focal point of new tensions after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces whose presence has effectively deterred Turkey.

After a Syrian army announcement declaring government troops had entered Manbij, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels stationed in nearby territory said they had begun moving together with Turkish forces toward the town in readiness for “the start of military operations to liberate” it.

A witness said convoys of Turkey-backed insurgents, with armored vehicles and machine guns, were moving toward the frontline with the town.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said the Syrian government forces had entered a strip of territory at the edge of Manbij, not inside the town itself, creating a barrier with Turkey-backed fighters nearby.

Manbij, where U.S. troops have a military base, is held by a local militia allied to the YPG which Turkey deems a security threat.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that U.S. troops had not changed their positions in Manbij and dozens still remained. The official said they had not seen Syrian military forces inside Manbij but rather on the outskirts of the city.

The U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State said that “despite incorrect information about changes to military forces in the city of Manbij, Syria, (the coalition) has seen no indication that these claims are true”.

Related Coverage Erdogan says Turkey has no business in Syria's Manbij if YPG militia leaves

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has vowed to crush the YPG, said Turkish officials would visit Russia - Assad’s most powerful ally - on Saturday and discuss Syria. He indicated Turkey was not in a hurry to launch an offensive.

Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw troops from Syria has alarmed the Kurdish-led fighters who have fought Islamic State alongside them for years.

Kurdish leaders are scrambling for a strategy to protect their region stretching across the north and east, where the presence of some 2,000 U.S. troops has so far deterred Turkey.

A deployment of Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, would complicate any offensive by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies.

U.S. military support for the Kurdish fighters has infuriated Turkey, which sees the YPG as an extension of the PKK movement that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey for decades.

Syrian state media circulated a video showing dozens of soldiers marching on a countryside road, chanting for President Bashar al-Assad. The military statement said troops had raised the national flag in Manbij on Friday and would guarantee security “for all Syrian citizens and others present.”

A resident inside the town said nothing had changed and he had not seen any such flags.

The YPG said on Friday its fighters had withdrawn from Manbij before to fight Islamic State elsewhere.

Slideshow (5 Images)

“We invite the Syrian government, to which we belong, as people, land and borders, to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats,” it said.

In November, Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols near Manbij after reaching a deal that includes the YPG exiting the town.
CJTFOIR deploys U.S. forces near Manbij to "reassure Coalition" members and to "deter aggression." This comes days after the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces' Manbij Military Council agreed to hand over territory west of Manbij to the Syrian Army to create a buffer zone between the SDF and Turkish-backed rebels.