Turkish threats raise fears on military operation in Syria’s Manbij
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – After recent Turkish statements on a military operation against areas in Syria’s northeast, the 40-year-old Ahmad Hamoud, a resident of the city of Manbij, north Syria, and a father of six, is living a state of instability, monitoring how it is going to work out there.
On October 11, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch a military operation against areas held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whom he accused of “carrying out an attack killing two Turkish soldiers.”
Since the eruption of the events in Syria, “we have been witnessing a state of instability amid fears attached to the unidentified fate of the region,” Hamoud told North Press.
The city of Manbij is stable and safe now unlike other areas held by either the Syrian government or Turkish forces with Syrian factions affiliated with them, “However, Turkey always tries hard to convert these stability and safety into devastations,” Hamoud said.
On August 15, 2016, Manbij Military Council Forces, with the support of the US-led Global Coalition, managed to expel the Islamic State (ISIS) from the city of Manbij following battles that lasted for about two months and a half.
Political solution
Hamoud stressed that powers involved in the Syrian issue should act to curb Turkish ambitions in the region within the framework of a political solution to spare innocent civilians of northeast Syria from war and displacement’s sufferings.
The 45-year-old Abdulqader Sawas, an IDP of Aleppo city, said that Manbij city “is a perfect city for safety, stability and investment.”
Sawas fears that Turkey may execute its threats to invade the region, “then we will be forced to flee again as we were displaced from Aleppo, five years ago, and headed towards Manbij.”
“We do not want residents to witness and suffer from displacement and to be away from their city as we had previously experienced for fear of oppression by Turkish-backed factions that loot, steal, arrest and kill after seizing areas,” Sawas told North Press.
“There must be a solution to spare the region and innocent civilians from the ghost of war,” he noted.
As he hold the US-led Global Coalition responsible for fulfilling their obligations towards the area and prevent any military operation that may threats stability in Manbij city, which has become a safe haven for IDPs.
“Closely monitoring”
For his part, Manbij Military Council spokesman, Shervan Darwish, said that they are taking the Turkish remarks and threats seriously, as they are closely monitoring the situation.
The main mission of Manbij Military Council Forces is to defend people against any external threat, “In the end, we are not warmongers, but if we are forced into war, we must defend ourselves within the framework of the legitimate right of self-defense,” Darwish told North Press.
Meanwhile, Darwish counts on the agreements signed between Turkey and the US on the one hand and Turkey and Russia on the other, regarding a ceasefire in the region.
The Manbij Military Council is disclosing the reality on the ground to all brokers of the agreements, according to Darwish.
After years of war, “we aspire to reach political solutions that will spare residents from any military operations. Residents have the right to live in safety and security, away from wars that have ravaged the region for a decade,” he added.
“Turkey is trying to expand its occupation over more Syrian batches under the pretext of protecting its national security, which is a false pretext that have become obvious to all, as we have never posed a threat to its national security,” Darwish noted.
The spokesman of the Manbij Military Council called on the city’s residents “not to be drawn into rumors and lies that the Turkish state is trying to spread to sow fear and panic among civilians.”