ANKARA: Troops from Turkey and the United States launched joint patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Thursday, the Turkish defence minister said, part of a bid to ease tensions between the Nato allies.
“The joint patrol in Manbij between Turkish armed forces and the US began today at 3.53pm (1253 GMT),” Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told lawmakers, according to state-run news agency Anadolu.
The city is controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia.
The patrol took place around the Sajur River that divides Manbij and the region of Jarabulus, which was captured by Syrian rebels from the IS group in 2016 during Ankara’s first offensive in northern Syria.
Manbij was captured from IS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group dominated by the YPG.
Ankara has repeatedly threatened to attack the city and earlier this week President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had completed preparations for a new operation to “destroy” the YPG in northern Syria.
There are US forces in Manbij —which lies just 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border — and Washington has been closely working with the YPG in the fight against IS.
The US support of the Kurdish militia has strained relations with Turkey.
Meanwhile, militants on Thursday killed four pro-regime fighters in Idlib province, the rebel stronghold where Russia and Turkey have agreed to set up a buffer zone, a monitor said.
— AFP
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