US assures Turkey that Kurds will withdraw from Manbij

The Pentagon said on Monday that it is committed to its promise with Turkey that Kurdish forces will withdraw from the Syrian city of Manbij following its liberation from Daesh.

The US official said that Washington is in constant communication with Turkey regarding Manbij and other issues. He noted that the current situation in the city is “very fluid” and that the US could not commit to a timeline for the final positioning of forces.

“We have been clear with all elements of this operation that the aim is to defeat [Daesh] in Manbij and return it to the control and governance of the local population,” Pentagon spokesman Adrian Rankine-Galloway told Anadolu news agency. “We have openly promised that these operations will be conducted in line with the promises given between the two countries.”

Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it has designated a terrorist organisation.