Syrian government forces have entered the northern city of Manbij, Damascus announced in response to a call for intervention by Kurdish militias. The move comes after Turkey amassed troops on its southern border.
On Friday, the YPG, the Kurdish militias, called on Damascus to secure Manbij, a strategic location in northern Syria close to the border with Turkey. Ankara earlier said it plans to conduct an “anti-terrorist operation” around the city, with the YPG being the target.
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Damascus responded with a statement, which said government forces were already entering the city.
“Considering the Arab Armys duty and in a response to a call by the people of Manbij, the Syrian general staff announces that the Army has entered Manbij and raised the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic there,” the statement cited by Syrian media said.
The statement added that the army is determined to “crush terrorism and defeat all invaders and occupiers” and to provide security for all Syrian citizens.
The development comes after the US, an ally of the Kurds for the past several years, decided to withdraw its troops from Kurd-controlled areas in Syria. The withdrawal came after Ankara complained about the presence of the YPG fighters near its border. Turkey sees all Kurdish militias as an extension of its domestic Kurdish insurgency and attacked them repeatedly in both Syria and Iraq.
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After Washington said it would be pulling out of northern Syria, Turkey amassed a large fighting force near its southern border but refrained from launching the promised offensive. American troops are still deployed along the border, which may explain why hostilities have not broken out immediately.
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