Turkish
troops have begun carrying out duties in the northern Syrian town of
Manbij, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday,
according to NTV. The broadcaster earlier cited local sources as
saying Turkish soldiers had entered the outskirts of Manbij. The move
is part of a deal agreed with the United States. Earlier this month,
Ankara and Washington endorsed a roadmap for the withdrawal of the
Syrian Kurdish YPG militia from Manbij and the deployment of Turkish
and US forces in the region to secure the area.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Syrian Kurdish
militia fighters were leaving northern Syria’s Manbij area.
Turkey’s armed forces announced earlier that they had started
patrols with US soldiers along the line separating Turkish-controlled
areas from the town of Manbij. Ankara says that Kurdish YPG militia
fighters are based there. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group.
Erdogan made the comments in a campaign rally in the northern
province of Ordu, Reuters reported. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
said on Monday that Manbij “will be cleared” of the Syrian
Kurdish YPG and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants as soon as
possible.
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