Syrian opposition army breaks PKK/YPG’s terror grip in Manbij

MANBIJ

The Syrian National Army (SNA) of the opposition has fully liberated Manbij in the country’s north from the occupation of the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, eradicating one of the largest terror strongholds west of the Euphrates River, the Turkish security sources said on Dec. 9.

Manbij, part of Syria’s Aleppo Governorate, had been under PKK/YPG occupation since 2016, serving a strategic role in the group’s attempt to establish a so-called “terror corridor” stretching from the Syrian-Iraqi border to the Mediterranean Sea.

Since entering Manbij’s central areas on Sunday, the SNA has been securing the region and conducting intensive scans for mines and other potential traps.

Syrian Interim Government President Abdurrahman Mustafa hailed the achievement, congratulating the people of Manbij and the SNA forces. He called the operation "a new step toward re-establishing Syria's sovereignty.”

The liberation is part of a broader offensive—Operation Dawn of Freedom—launched by the Ankara backed SNA to clear northeastern Syria of terrorist elements. Just last week, the town of Tal Rifaat was similarly freed from PKK/YPG control.

The overwhelmingly Arab population joined the effort, rising against the PKK/YPG and freeing prisoners held in local detention facilities. Earlier in the campaign, the SNA had also captured Orayma and Awn al-Dadat, two key settlements close to Manbij.

The PKK/YPG captured Manbij between May and August 2016 during an offensive bolstered by U.S. support. Despite assurances from both the U.S. and Russia, the district remained under the group's control.

The U.S. earlier pledged to Türkiye that PKK/YPG terrorists would withdraw from the district once it was cleansed of ISIL, a promise that went unfulfilled. Similarly, Russia, under the terms of an October 2019 agreement with Türkiye during Ankara’s Operation Peace Spring Operation, committed to removing the terrorist elements from Manbij and claimed their withdrawal, yet the group persisted in maintaining its hold.

Manbij occupies a pivotal position in the PKK/YPG's blueprint for establishing a “terror corridor” stretching from the Syria-Iraq border to the Mediterranean in Syria's west.

Türkiye’s Operation Euphrates Shield in August 2016 dealt a significant blow to the terrorist organization's plans to establish a direct connection between Afrin, Tel Rifaat and Manbij.

PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. Ankara also sees YPG as its Syrian wing.