Breaking: Turkish-backed forces push into strategic Syrian city near border
Turkish-supported Syrian fighters moved into Manbij city after taking nearby areas from Kurdish groups. The military action marks a new phase in northern Syriaʼs changing power structure
Turkish-backed forces made a big-time move into northern Syriaʼs Manbij (located bout 19-miles from Turkeyʼs border) taking most areas around the city from Kurdish fighters
The pro-Turkish Syrian groups got into the city after a well-planned operation that used both air-strikes and ground troops: their main target being Kurdish YPG groups whoʼve been running things there for a while
Turkish military sources say the push against Kurdish forces is going super-well with most of the surrounding area now under their control. The whole thing started on Dec 7th when Syrian opposition groups first said they were gonna take on Manbij
The Kurdish YPG has been Americas main friend in fighting ISIS but Turkey sees things different. They say YPG is just another name for trouble - being connected to the PKK which has been fighting against Turkish government since early-80s (thatʼs like 40-ish years of back-and-forth)
- YPG works with US against ISIS
- Turkey thinks YPG equals PKK
- PKK listed as terrorist group by Turkey
- Fighting happens near Turkish border
The city sits west of the Euphrates river and its location makes it super-important for everyone involved - though Kurdish groups havent said anything yet about whats going on there
