SNA largely takes control of PKK stronghold Manbij: Sources

ANKARA

The Syrian National Army (SNA) continues its operation in Manbij against the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, having already taken control of 80 percent of the city in Syria’s north, Turkish security sources said on Dec. 8.

Following the opposition groups’ advance to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime, the government forces withdrew from certain areas, ceding them to PKK/YPG.

To prevent the creation of a “terror corridor,” the Ankara-backed SNA launched Operation Dawn of Freedom, subsequently capturing Tel Rifaat after eight years of terrorist rule.

Sources reported on Dec. 8 that the operation was ongoing in Manbij.

During the operation, the SNA secured 80 percent of the city, conducting both aerial and ground assaults to wrest it from PKK/YPG control, the sources said.

As part of the operation, the SNA liberated the town of Ureyme in the west and the village of Um Dadat in the north from terrorism. The opposition forces are advancing towards the town center.

Inside Manbij, Arabs have risen against the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, freeing individuals held by the group in the town prison.

Manbij, located in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate, lies on the western bank of the Euphrates River. The PKK/YPG seized the city in 2016, with the support of the U.S. following a military campaign. The U.S. had promised Türkiye that PKK/YPG would vacate the city once it was liberated from ISIL, but this pledge was never fulfilled. The PKK/YPG has strategically positioned Manbij as a key node in its plan to create a “terror corridor” extending from the Syria-Iraq border to the western coast of Syria, reaching the Mediterranean.

In August 2016, Türkiye’s Operation Euphrates Shield dealt a significant blow to this plan, thwarting efforts to establish a direct link between Afrin, Tel Rifaat and Manbij.