HTS shells Syria’s Manbij with heavy weapons
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) shelled on Wednesday morning the western countryside of Manbij, northern Syria, with artillery and missiles amid large-scale displacement of the people of villages on contact lines between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and HTS.
A military source within the opposition told North Press that the HTS sent on Wednesday a military convoy consisting of about 20 4WD vehicles carrying more than 80 militants to Manbij.
Another military source told North Press that HTS and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), attacked the posts of the Manbij Military Council (MMC) and al-Bab Military Council, both affiliated with SDF, in the town of Arima in the western countryside of Manbij.
He added that forces of the two councils deterred a ground attack by SNA factions amid heavy artillery and rocket shelling in Arima and surrounding villages.
Earlier on Wednesday, the MMC announced the killing of one of its leaders as a result of IED blast in his car.
The inhabited villages of al-Boghaz, al-Buyahj and Arima witness heavy shelling amid large-scale displacement, according to North Press correspondent.
On Sep. 4, the MMC thwarted three attacks by Turkish forces and SNA factions on the villages of al-Khalidya and Arab Hassan in the western countryside of Manbij and another on the Sajur River, leading to the killing of several gunmen and destruction of a vehicle.
On Sept. 2, the HTS sent 75 militants of the group’s “Red Bands” faction to Manbij to back the tribes in the armed conflict against the SDF in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
According to the source, the objective of sending its militants to this area is not to support the tribes but rather to reinforce its forces within the Ahrar Olan, a faction affiliated to the HTS, in the eastern countryside of Aleppo that run routes for smuggling and importing diesel to the region.
Since the beginning of September, the northern and western countryside of Manbij have been attacked by the SNA, following the clashes that erupted between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria.
On Aug. 27, the SDF launched a military operation called “Security Reinforcement” with the support of the US-led Global Coalition on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, specifically in Deir ez-Zor, “to eradicate ISIS sleeper cells, pursue criminals responsible for perpetrating injustices against the local population, and to track down smugglers who exploit the populace’s livelihoods.”
On Aug. 30, the SDF announced the dismissal of commander of Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Ahmad al-Khabil, known as Abu Khawla, from duty, for his involvement “in multiple crimes and violations, including communication and coordination with external entities hostile to the revolution, committing criminal offenses and engaging in drug trafficking, mismanaging of the security situation, his negative role in increasing the activities of ISIS cells,” according to the SDF.
The operation led to the eruption of clashes between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with the dismissed leaders and with Nawaf al-Bashir, leader of al-Baggara tribe and a pro-Iranian figure whose groups are active in the western bank of the Euphrates which is under the control of the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.
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).