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100+ villages captured in Manbij operation
[ARA News] MANBIJ – The Manbij Military Council, assisted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have captured more than 105 villages and farms since the start of the operations on 31 May, military sources reported on Tuesday.The Manbij Military Council managed to take control of many villages in a short time. However, civilians are held hostage and used as human shields by the Islamic State (ISIS) extremists group. “Still large numbers of citizens are trying to flee the city controlled by the “Islamic State” in and get out of it, and the people accused members from the organization of targeting the outskirts of the city and monitoring it by snipers,” SOHR said on Tuesday. The advances are backed by heavy airstrikes of the US-led coalition targeting ISIS at the northern and eastern vicinity outskirts of Manbij. On 12 June, six coalition airstrikes struck five separate ISIS tactical units and destroyed four ISIS fighting positions, an ISIS cave entrance, an ISIS weapons cache, an ISIS vehicle and an ISIS light machine gun, the coalition said in a press release. Moreover, six fighters from the SDF were killed from the Arab town of Sarrin in clashes with ISIS near the eastern bank of the Euphrates river. Ibrahim Kurdo, the foreign affairs head in Kobane, told ARA News that the US-led coalition is satisfied with the progress. “I believe that America as well as our people are satisfied with the Manbij operation, and Manbij a strategic center of ISIS is now besieged without many martyrs and casualties,” he said. “I believe we are successful, and the international coalition is satisfied,” he said. “Since the start of the operation, we have conducted 102 airstrikes in Manbij; 84 of those strikes occurred since the start of the ground operation last week. We are also continuing to provide intelligence and ISR support,” Colonel Chris Garver, the spokesperson of the US-led coalition said last week. “[The SDF] has continued to make significant progress in seizing territory from and further isolating Daesh around Manbij,” he added. Posted by: badanov 2016-06-15 |
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