Syria Pro-Turkish rebels take Manbij from Kurds
After heavy fighting, pro-Turkish rebels have captured the northern Syrian city of Manbij from Kurdish militias.
10.12.2024, 09:36
SDA
The Ankara-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) took control of the city, which is close to the Turkish border and has a population of around 70,000, as the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activists confirmed to the German Press Agency. The takeover was preceded by two weeks of fighting, parallel to the advance of the Islamist-led rebel alliance towards Damascus.
Residents also confirmed that the SNA now controls Manbich. Turkish media had already announced the capture the day before. The SNA had already captured areas from Kurdish militias in recent days and is advancing further east.
Turkey is occupying border areas in northern Syria with the support of the SNA, which consists of several rebel groups. Turkey regards the Kurdish militias active there as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and therefore as a terrorist organization. On Monday evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that he would not tolerate their presence on the border with Turkey.
