MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Al-Saleh is afraid of a war that may rage his city Manbij, north Syria, as the situation there does not bear more wars, especially since the infrastructure is truly harmed and the economic situation badly affected.
Hassan al-Saleh, 51, a resident of Manbij, said that the city’s situation is very bad, especially after the devastating earthquake that struck the area on February 6 that affected the infrastructure, and not to mention impacts of a decade-long ongoing war.
On August 15, 2016, the Manbij Military Council and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the support of the US-led Global Coalition, expelled Islamic State (ISIS) from Manbij.
He told North Press, “In case a war takes place, the city will be destroyed completely.”
Residents of Manbij fear that Turkey will implement its threats to attack northern Syria, as they say in the event their city undergoes a war, the humanitarian and living conditions will become more difficult due to the fragility of the infrastructure.
“The conditions of the residents of Manbij are bad, as they suffer from an economic blockade and a difficult living situation, especially since the residents suffered a lot during the many years of war,” al-Saleh added.
He believes that the city urgently needs reconstruction but not a new war, especially after the Feb.6 earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey, causing drastic damage to residential buildings.
The recent Turkish escalation in northeastern Syria and the drones attacks caused a state of panic among the city’s residents.
Khadra al-Darwish, 53 years old resident of Manbij, is afraid of a new war that might affect her city, and she believes that the current situation in Manbij and the dire living conditions “can no longer tolerate more wars.”
“We want to live in peace, we wish safety and security for everyone, I hope that no war happens in Manbij,” al-Darwish stressed.
A new Turkish war will exacerbate the suffering of the residents amid the difficult living and economic conditions.
The Turkish threats will increase fears of the residents, given what they have suffered in previous experiences due to wars, destruction, and damage to the city’s infrastructure.
Muaz al-Jassem, 28, a resident of Manbij, complains about the bad situation in the city as a result of the war and the earthquake.
“The situation in Manbij is very bad, people have become hopeless,” al-Jassem told North Press.
In light of the ongoing Turkish escalation, residents of Manbij are calling on the active countries and humanitarian organizations to stop the Turkish threats against the region.
The destruction of homes and the number of children who were killed due to wars and earthquake left deep scars on the souls of the residents of Manbij, al-Jassem concluded.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prior to the presidential and parliamentary elections in May, released successive threats to attack areas in northern Syria, specifying his targets in Manbij, Tel Rifaat, and Kobani, and after the elections that ended with Erdogan becoming the president for the third term, he continued targeting areas in northeast Syria and launching drone attacks against civilians, military personnel, and employees of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily there.