To defend against an invasion by the Turkish armed forces invaded the Syrian army on Friday in the strategically important town of Manbij near the border with Turkey. An army spokesman declared on state television that the soldiers had hoisted in the town, the Syrian national flag. Shortly before the Syrian Kurds, who see the planned US troop withdrawal in distress, had asked the government in Damascus for aid against Turkey.
in Addition, Turkey supported the rebels, according to their own information on the way to the Kurdish metropolis of Manbij. Thus, an encounter with troops of President Bashar al-Assad threatens. The convoys moved together with the Turkish armed forces on the front lines in Manbij, in “full readiness to launch military operations for the liberation of the city,” said the rebel group on Friday.
government troops for the first time in six years in Manbij
Syrian Kurds the government in Damascus had asked for assistance against Turkey. “We invite the Syrian government troops to take control of the areas from which we have withdrawn, in particular from Manbij, and to defend these areas against a Turkish Invasion”, it said in a statement, the Kurdish people’s defense units (YPG).
We invite the Syrian government forces to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particularly Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion.https://t. co/OAkymO8s9Q
— Rojava Defense Units | YPG (@defense units) 28. December 2018,
The Syrian army spokesman, said after the invasion in Manbij, the military would crush “terrorism, and all the invaders and occupiers defeat”. It is the first Time in six years that the Syrian armed forces in the 30 kilometers from the Turkish border distant city. There were also suspected to still have soldiers from the US and France.
The YPG had captured Manbij in 2016 and at that time, the fighters of the jihadist militia Islamic state (IS) expelled from the city. They were from the international Anti-IS coalition under the leadership of the United States with air attacks, special forces and weapons support.
Turkey: “No right” to assistance from Damascus
The YPG-presence in the city to the West of the Euphrates was Turkey from the beginning a thorn in the eye, because you want to prevent an independent Kurdish region across its southern border. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had recently announced a military offensive to expel the YPG from the Region. The Turkish army reinforced its troop presence on the border, Ankara has supported the Syrian rebel groups have sent fighters to Manbij.
The Turkish Ministry of defence said on Friday, the Syrian Kurds have “the right” to get assistance from Damascus. Syria’s ally Russia, however, the head of state, Bashar al-Assad in September 2015 for military assistance had been asked, welcomed the move by the Syrian army.
Surprising announcement
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that the advance contributes to “stabilising the situation”. At the beginning of January, Russia intends to convene a further Syria-summit with the presidents of Iran and Turkey. His country was the turn to organize such a Meeting, said the Russian Deputy foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, according to the Interfax news Agency.
Last week, announced by US President Donald Trump, surprisingly, the withdrawal of some 2000 US soldiers out of Syria, and Erdogan said the YPG would now be driven out of the Region. Because of the US troop presence in Northern Syria Ankara held back up to this point, with attacks. (sep/AFP)
Created: 28.12.2018, 10:32 PM