Turkish forces target Syria’s Manbij with 81 shells in 10 days
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Manbij Military Council (MMC), a military formation affiliated with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on Tuesday that villages on contact lines with Turkish forces, northwestern the city of Manbij, north of Aleppo Governorate, were shelled with about 81 shells during the past ten days.
This came in a statement the MMC posted on its official Facebook account.
The villages on contact lines between MMC forces and the Turkish forces along with their armed opposition factions were shelled with 81 shells during the past ten days, according to statistics carried out by the MMC.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan specified his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
On July 1, Erdogan said that Ankara’s new military operation in northern Syria could begin at any moment.
“The time has come to clear these lands from the terrorist organizations,” Erdogan threatened during Tehran summit.
Tehran Summit, on July 19, brought together presidents of each of Iran, Russia and Turkey with the Syrian issue and Turkish threats on the top of its agenda.
The shelled villages are Arab Hassan, al-Hoshariya, al-Jat, al-Tokhar, Awn Dadat, al-Muhsinli, Sayyada, al-Yalinli, Korhyuk, Boghaz and al-Kawikli, according to the MMC.
The MMC was founded in 2017 and is consisted of fighters from all the communities of the region including the Arabs, Kurds, Circassians and Turkmen.
The Turkish forces targeted the aforementioned villages from Turkish military bases in the villages of al-Tokhar, Sheikh Nasser and al-Yashli, according to the statement.
No casualties were reported.
The city of Manbij is 30 km from the Turkish border. It has a population of about 700.000.
Manbij is of strategic location that can change the balance of power in northern Syria as it is located on the M4 highway, and it is the link between west and east of the Euphrates.
The city was liberated from ISIS by the SDF supported by the US-led Global Coalition in 2016.