Turkey shells countryside of Syria’s Manbij
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition faction, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), targeted the western countryside of Manbij in northern Syria with mortar shells.
Manbij Military Council, a military formation affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on its official website that the Turkish forces, stationed in al-Zarzour base, west of Manbij, targeted the village of Jablat al-Hamra in the western countryside of Manbij, with mortar shells.
The council did not mention any reports regarding casualties or material damage.
It pointed out that the shelling caused a state of fear and panic among the residents.
On August 30, the villages of Tokhar and al-Mawasin, northeast of Manbij, were exposed to a similar shelling by Turkish forces and their SNA factions.
The city of Manbij, east of Aleppo, is one of the most important industrial centers in northern Syria, as it is a transportation hub and sits on a commercial road linking the Autonomous Administration held areas with those of the Syrian government, in addition to opposition-held areas in northern Syria.
The SDF supported by the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS liberated Manbij from ISIS in 2016 following fierce battles.
Following its liberation from ISIS, the Arabs, Kurds, Circassians and Turkmen, who constitute the fabric of Manbij, established their own administration under the name of Democratic Civil Administration of Manbij and its Countryside to run the affairs of their region. Then, this administration joined the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).