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‘Zero threat’ to Turkish security in Manbij, says coalition
 [RUDAW.NET] There is "zero threat" to the security of ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... in Manbij, said the coalition spokesperson as the US and Russia show support for Kurdish forces in Syria in the face of Turkish objections. Earlier this month, Col. John Dorrian, spokesperson for the global anti-ISIS coalition, tweeted that US forces were deployed to the Manbij area as a "deliberate" act to "deter aggression" and reassure coalition partners as Turkish-backed forces advanced on Manbij and Turkish leaders spoke of a military offensive to oust Kurdish forces Ankara alleges control the northern Syrian city. "Our forces have been present there for some time," Dorrian told Rudaw TV on Monday, explaining the US presence on the ground around Manbij. "They've had a visible presence more recently, and the purpose of their presence right now is to make sure there is no security incident and to make sure there is no persistent [the Kurdish force] YPG presence in the city, or anything that would threaten Turkey because we are also committed to Turkey's security. And what we've found so far is that there is exactly zero threat to Turkey's security in Manbij." Turkey launched its military operation, Euphrates Shield, after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated Manbij from ISIS control. Ankara’s stated aim was to clear the Turkey-Syria border area of Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization with ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and strongly objects to the coalition’s backing of the YPG and the SDF in the fight against ISIS in northern Syria. The US reportedly promised Turkey that the YPG would leave Manbij after ISIS was defeated and security in the city was reestablished. The YPG announced last November that they had withdrawn their forces from Manbij and were focusing on the offensive for Raqqa, but Ankara claims that the YPG has in fact not left the city. Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... vowed that his forces would march on Manbij after completing operations against ISIS in al-Bab, to force the YPG east of the Euphrates River. Posted by: Fred 2017-03-14 |
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