Islam Times - Turkey-Backed Militants Seize Manbij from US-Backed Kurdish Fighters

Islam Times - Turkey-backed militia have taken full control of the northern Syrian city of Manbij following an offensive against the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkish officials said Monday.

The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army launched an offensive on Manbij on December 6, days after expelling SDF fighters from the nearby city of Tal Rifaat.

Turkish security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said, “control of Manbij has been secured,” without providing further details.

Turkey considers the SDF, which is largely composed of the Syrian Kurdish militia group YPG, to be an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group it designates as a terrorist organization.

In a separate incident, the Syrian Democratic Forces said on Monday that a Turkish drone strike killed 12 civilians, including six children, in the village of al-Mistriha, north of Raqqa in eastern Syria.