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Syrian army enters Manbij after Kurdish calls to deter Turkey
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS DECEMBER 28, 2018 / 3:43 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Syrian army enters Manbij after Kurdish calls to deter Turkey
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army said it entered Manbij on Friday for the first time in years, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks.
It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in the town, where U.S. forces operate and have a military base.
With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.
The Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, hold the town in northern Syria, which lies on a front with Turkey-backed rebels. Ankara deems the Kurdish YPG fighters a threat and has vowed to crush them.
-snip-
Syrian army enters Manbij after Kurdish calls to deter Turkey
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army said it entered Manbij on Friday for the first time in years, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks.
It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in the town, where U.S. forces operate and have a military base.
With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.
The Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, hold the town in northern Syria, which lies on a front with Turkey-backed rebels. Ankara deems the Kurdish YPG fighters a threat and has vowed to crush them.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ypg/syrian-army-enters-manbij-after-kurdish-calls-to-deter-turkey-idUSKCN1OR0IQ
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Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS DECEMBER 28, 2018 / 5:12 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Kremlin welcomes return of Syrian Kurdish territories to Damascus
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia welcomes the return of Kurdish territories in Syria to the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the Kremlin spokesman said on Friday, after Damascus said its forces had entered the town of Manbij.
“This is a positive trend,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call.
Russia is a staunch ally of Assad in the Syrian conflict.
Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Gareth Jones
Kremlin welcomes return of Syrian Kurdish territories to Damascus
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia welcomes the return of Kurdish territories in Syria to the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the Kremlin spokesman said on Friday, after Damascus said its forces had entered the town of Manbij.
“This is a positive trend,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call.
Russia is a staunch ally of Assad in the Syrian conflict.
Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Gareth Jones
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria/kremlin-welcomes-return-of-syrian-kurdish-territories-to-damascus-idUSKCN1OR0OZ