US military deploys forces in Manbij as ‘sign of deterrence'

The US military has deployed a small number of forces in and around the Syrian city of Manbij to ensure that the different parties do not attack each other and stay focused on fighting the Islamic State militant group, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that the forces were there to be a “visible sign of deterrence and reassurance,” adding that this was a new effort which had not been carried out in the past and started last week.

According to media reports, US Special Forces are now gradually advancing on Manbij’s Ayn Dadat area.

Manbij is surrounded by US forces from the north and by Syrian regime forces from the south and south-west, with the latter hoping to establish a buffer zone against the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army in the west.

Read: Trump to plough more money into already massive US military

The district is bordered to the east by the Euphrates River.

Manbij stands only 30 kilometres from the Turkish border. In 2012, the Syrian opposition captured Manbij, but the Daesh terrorist group retook the district in early 2014.

With US air support, the PYD/PKK later managed to drive Daesh from Manbij.

The US had promised Turkey that the PYD/PKK would leave the area after capturing it, but this promise failed to materialise.

Manbij is inhabited mainly by Arabs, with only a couple thousand Kurds and Turkmen living there.

In a statement issued on Monday the PYD/PKK “Manbij Military Council” declared that Manbij would not be surrendered to Syrian regime forces.

The council added that Assad regime forces would only be deployed between forces taking part in the Turkey-led Operation Euphrates Shield and PYD/PKK forces.

Although Russian military officials had said earlier that Manbij would be handed over to the Assad regime, US officials said they had no information on the proposed handover.