500 families displaced due to SNA attacks on Syria’s Manbij – AANES
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said over 500 families have been displaced from the northwestern countryside of Manbij, northern Syria, due to attacks by Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA).
Asma Ramo, co-chair of the Social Affairs and Labor in the Civil Administration of Manbij, affiliated with the AANES, said the SNA attacks and heavy shelling on the countryside of Manbij caused the displacement of 524 families from villages on contact lines.
Early in September, the SNA and militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) attacked the northwestern villages of Manbij. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) repelled the attacks and as a result more than 50 militants of the SNA and the HTS were killed and injured.
Ramo told North Press that the Administration established a camp with 44 tents, housing 117 families, in the northern side of the city, whereas the remaining families moved in neighborhoods inside the city.
A local association has taken the responsibility of providing food for the families as the administration of Manbij has limited resources. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations have failed to act in providing assistance, she noted.
The attacks on Manbij began in tandem with clashes erupted between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.
On Aug. 27, the SDF launched a military operation called “Security Reinforcement” with the support of the US-led Global Coalition on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, specifically in Deir ez-Zor, “to eradicate ISIS sleeper cells, pursue criminals responsible for perpetrating injustices against the local population, and to track down smugglers who exploit the populace’s livelihoods.”
On Aug. 30, the SDF announced the dismissal of commander of Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Ahmad al-Khabil, known as Abu Khawla, from duty, for his involvement “in multiple crimes and violations, including communication and coordination with external entities hostile to the revolution, committing criminal offenses and engaging in drug trafficking, mismanaging of the security situation, his negative role in increasing the activities of ISIS cells,” according to the SDF.
The operation led to the eruption of clashes between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with the dismissed leaders and with Nawaf al-Bashir, leader of al-Baggara tribe and a pro-Iranian figure whose groups are active in the western bank of the Euphrates which is under the control of the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.
Ramo warned of the increasing number of IDPs due to the military escalation by Turkey and SNA factions.
On Sep. 1, five children were killed in an attack by SNA in the countryside of Manbij.
On Sep. 2, one woman was killed and four individuals were wounded in an another SNA attack in Manbij.
Ramo called on humanitarian organizations to rapidly provide support for families displaced as a result of SNA shelling.