Skip to main content

Damascus condemns Turkish patrols around Syria’s Manbij

Syria’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned Turkish military patrols around the northern city of Manbij, launched the previous day under a deal with the United States.

Manbij is held by a US-backed alliance dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), but Ankara considers them “terrorists” and has threatened to attack the city.

In a first step on Monday, Turkish armoured vehicles began patrolling around Manbij, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.

Ankara has said its forces would eventually move into the city itself.

The Turkish patrols are part of a deal to reduce tensions around Manbij, where US troops are also present, but Syria’s government sees them as an invasion.

“Syria strongly condemns and absolutely rejects the incursion of Turkish and American forces into the area of Manbij city,” said a foreign ministry source, quoted by state news agency SANA.

The source condemned the move as part of “the continued Turkish and American aggression on the sovereignty, security and unity of the lands of the Syrian Arab Republic”.

Turkey has backed rebels against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but has also supported operations against the YPG in the north.

After ousting the Kurdish force from the Afrin region west of Manbij, Ankara escalated its threats against Manbij, raising the spectre of a clash between it and its NATO ally, the United States.

Diplomatic efforts between the United States and Turkey led to a “roadmap” earlier this month between both sides on the future of Manbij.

Earlier this month, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem criticised the roadmap, saying “neither the United States nor Turkey has the right to negotiate over a Syrian city”.

On Tuesday, Syria’s foreign ministry demanded the international community condemn the United States and Turkey and pledged once more to retake the entirety of the country.

Much of Syria’s north is controlled by the YPG or the alliance that it heads, and the US-led coalition fighting jihadists operates several bases there.

US support for the YPG has strained relations with Turkey, which fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region on its southern border.

A handout picture realeased by the Turkish Armed Forces shows Turkish soldiers accompanied by armoured vehicles patrolling between the city of Manbij in northern Syria and an area it controls after a 2016-2017 military incursion on June 18, 2018. Turkey said it had started military patrols in an area around the Kurdish-held city of Manbij, in line with an agreement with the United States to scale down tensions in the region. / AFP PHOTO / AFP PHOTO AND TURKISH ARMED FORCES / Handout

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I don’t know Abba Kyari’s residence, says Borno Gov, Babagana Zulum

Zulum and Kyari Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, says he does not know the residence of embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, who was indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an alleged role in a $1.1m fraud allegedly committed by money laundering suspect, Abass Ramon, aka Hushpuppi, and four others. The governor also said he had never visited the suspended former Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, who is an indigene of Borno State. Zulum issued the disclaimer via a Facebook post on Wednesday. The statement was titled, ‘Zulum and Shettima did not visit Abba Kyari, aide clarifies’. The statement signed by Zulum’s spokesman, Isa Gusau, noted that Zulum and Kyari had separately visited Shettima to wish him a quick recovery on June 30, 2021. “Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum and his predecessor, Senator Kashim Shettima, do not know the residence of embattled DCP Abba Kyari, let alone visit him, Zulum’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blockchain Embassy Opens for Business in Panama City

A new location for bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, activists, iconoclasts, connoisseurs, and the general public has opened in Panama. It is called the  Blockchain Embassy . It is located in the  Balboa Boutiques Strip Mal l  of Balboa Avenue in Panama City.  Information on the Blockchain Embassy The space has crypto clothing and other merchandise for sale. It has a cafeteria, craft beers for sale, hardware wallets on display, a coffee shop, and even a working space. A press release sent to  bitcoin . com , said the  embassy  will also start giving cryptocurrency workshops and presentations. Everyone is welcome to come and engage with the Panama crypto community. The Embassy press release elaborated on how it accepts payment and provided more information: The embassy accepts payments in cash and Crypto, and has become an emblematic tourist site in Panama. It receives visitors from all over the world. It is one of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Imo 2019:10 governorship candidates stepdown for Araraume

Imo 2019:10 governorship candidates stepdown for Araraume Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri __________________________________ The governorship bid of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in Imo State, Ifeanyi Araraume, on Wednesday received a boost as ten governorship candidates stepdown for him. Leading the candidates under the aegis of the Forum of Governorship Candidates in Imo State (FGCI), governorship candidate of the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) Elias Chukwuemeka told Araraume that he and other candidates had decided to support him to ensure a total victory for the masses in the state. According to Chukwuemeka, Araraume is the only candidate with the qualities and political will to defeat other contestants. “We are here to stepdown for Araraume, in him we have found worthy a good candidate with human feelings. Above all, he has the political strength to match other opponents; we want him to win for the masses, not that we don’t have qualities, but we see him as a better cont...
Post a Comment
Read more