Turkish forces target villages in Syria’s Manbij
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Early on Monday, Turkish forces and their affiliated armed Syrian opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), targeted villages in north of Manbij with heavy weaponry and artillery shells.
Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the Turkish forces stationed at a base in the village of al-Tokhar al-Kabir, north of Manbij, targeted with artillery and heavy weapons the villages of al-Masi, al-Ziaybat and Aoun al-Dadat north of Manbij.
Until the moment this report was prepared, the shelling was still ongoing, causing panic and fear among locals, Manbij Military Council noted.
On October 5, the Turkish forces and SNA factions shelled for two days in a row villages located on the frontlines in the countryside of Manbij.
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).