Turkish shelling targets inhabited villages in Syria’s Manbij
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, known as Syrian National Army (SNA), shelled on Wednesday multiple villages in the eastern countryside of Manbij, north of Syria.
In its official website, the Media Center of Manbij Military council (MMC), a military formation affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said that Turkish forces and its affiliated SNA continue “violating humanitarian standards and laws through barbaric attacks on villages inhabited by civilians.”
The MMC added that Turkish military bases in the villages of Awn Dadat and Sheikh Nasser, north of Manbij, targeted this evening the villages of al-Asaliyah, Jub al-Arous and Boz Kage.
The targeted village are inhabited which caused a state of panic among the residents, the Media Center of the MMC added.
The Turkish shelling left material damage in public and private properties, according to the MMC.
On September 20, the Turkish forces targeted with four mortar shells the outskirts of the village of al-Jamousiyah and al-Asaliyah, 20 km west of Manbij. No damage were reported.
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 Syrian Democratic Forces (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).