US, Turkish soldiers in joint training for Syria’s Manbij

GAZİANTEP

Turkish and U.S. soldiers have started joint training for combined patrols in the northwestern Manbij city of Syria, the Turkish military said on Oct. 14.

The Turkish military shared pictures of Turkish and U.S. soldiers during a training mission in southeastern border province of Gaziantep on its official Instagram account.

Earlier this week, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar had announced the joint training had begun.

“As of today the Turkish and U.S. Armed Forces began joint training on combined patrolling activities, which will be held in the region, as part of the Manbij Roadmap and Security Principles,” Akar told state-run Anadolu Agency.

The training aims to inform both teams about tactical equipment and the arms systems of their armies.

After the training mission, both groups of soldiers will launch joint patrolling in Manbij.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brokered a deal on June 4, which sought the withdrawal of the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the illegal PKK, from Manbij and the joint control of the city by Turkish and American troops.

The process had to be completed on Sept. 4, but Turkish and American troops could not yet begin joint patrolling missions due to the delayed training of the two sides’ militaries in the region.