Villagers in Manbij call on Turkey for help
Families in the northwestern Syrian city of Manbij are being forced apart due to YPG/PKK terrorism.
Residents of Tukar village, 16 kilometers (9.94 miles) north of Manbij, narrated how YPG/PKK terrorists separate children form their parents.
The village was liberated by Turkish-backed forces from Daesh during the Operation Euphrates Shield in 2017.
However, YPG/PKK terrorists seized the southern part of the village. The northern part is still under control of Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army forces.
The village is divided into the north and south by the Saju stream.
Locals say they are unable to visit their relatives or carry out agriculture activities in the terrorist-held area.
Village head Ibrahim Muhammed Milla said his family was divided as some of them were living in the part of the village occupied by the terrorists.
"When I want to visit my brother living in the same village they [PKK/YPG] ask for my ID card and check me," Milla said.
Milla owns land in south of Saju, which is now inaccessible.
YPG/PKK loots houses and villages
Welcoming Turkey's entry in Manbij, Milla said: “For God's sake, we want to be freed from PKK.”
The Turkish and U.S. militaries began conducting patrols in Manbij on Monday in line with an agreed-upon roadmap for eliminating the terrorist presence and stabilizing the area.
The roadmap, which calls for the withdrawal of the YPG/PKK from Manbij, was unveiled after a June 4 meeting in Washington between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Abu Diyab, originally form Shuyruk village but forced to reside in Tukar village due to YPG/PKK terrorism, said he wanted to return home.
“Our lands and houses are under the occupation of terrorists. We cannot go there. We want the place be cleared off PKK, to return to our houses,” he added.
Diyab said the terrorists also looted houses in the village they seized.
“PKK has taken away our household stuffs. They took away the doors and windows. We want the villages of Manbij to be cleared of terrorists," he said.
Turkish Armed Forces on Wednesday completed a second round of patrolling in the northern Syrian city of Manbij as part of a deal with the U.S. to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terror group.According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground, armored vehicles belonging to the Turkish military carried out patrol activity near the Sacu river, which separates the Jarabulus region from Manbij.After the patrol activity, which took two hours, Turkish troops returned to Turkey safely.The first patrols by both Turkish and U.S. troops in the region began on June 18.The Manbij deal, which was made between Turkey and the U.S., focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city in order to stabilize the region.Video: Turkish Armed Forces start second patrol in Syria’s ManbijThe agreement was first announced after a meeting in Washington earlier in June between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Should the model prove to be a success, Turkey will push for a similar arrangement in eastern Syria.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives, including those of women and children. The YPG/PKK is its Syrian branch.Turkey has said the presence of terror forces near its border constitute a threat and has launched military operations and other efforts to rid the region of terrorists.Arabs account for more than 90 percent of the local population in Manbij.
Turkish army ends second round of patrols in Manbij
Abandoned YPG terror group positions have been spotted along the route of Turkish army's patrol in Manbij, a northern Syria city, according to Turkish security sources.The sources, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said Turkish and American patrolling is being conducted in accordance with meetings between the military officials of the two countries.While patrolling in Manbij continues, YPG terror group's abandoned positions, which are on the route of Turkish army's patrol, can be seen in the city, the sources said.Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish Armed Forces began a second round of patrolling in Manbij as part of the objective to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terror group.The first patrols by both Turkish and U.S. troops in the region began on June 18.Video: Turkish Armed Forces start second patrol in Syria’s ManbijThe Manbij deal, which was made between Turkey and the U.S., focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city in order to stabilize the region.The agreement was first announced after a meeting in Washington earlier in June between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Syrian refugees glad to see Turkish forces in ManbijTurkish army begins second round of patrols in Syria's ManbijShould the model prove to be a success, Turkey will push for a similar arrangement in eastern Syria.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives, including those of women and children. The YPG/PKK is its Syrian branch.
YPG terror group positions abandoned in Syria’s Manbij
A number of senior terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed in the aftermath of a Turkish airstrike against the northern Iraqi region of Qandil, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday. “We carried out our first operation in Qandil using 20 jets, struck 10 important targets and took care of their leading unit in a second airstrike while they convened for a meeting,” revealed Erdoğan.Northern Iraq’s Qandil Mountains have been a haven for PKK terrorists over the past few decades. Considered as the main base of the PKK, which control checkpoints and entrances to the mountains, the structuring in the area is used for cover and concealment by terrorists.Qandil operation is next, says Turkish PMSpeaking during a campaign stop for the upcoming elections in Şanlıurfa, Erdoğan pointed that the worst was over, noting that “very little is left,” in reference to the ongoing cross-border operations in neighboring Iraq and Syria. “They replaced one terror organization with another right along Urfa’s borders. Those who didn’t feel safe when Daesh was there yesterday are not feeling safe today, and for that reason they’re not returning home. Turkey first secured the area from Jarabulus to al-Bab, then to Afrin. Two hundred thousand of our Syrian brothers and sisters returned to this region.”Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20, 2018 in Syria’s northwestern region of Afrin to eradicate the area of terrorists belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian offshoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), following Turkey’s seven-month Euphrates Shield Operation which succeeded in clearing large swathes of Syrian territory from Daesh.“Now we secured Manbij through an agreement with the U.S. Our Arab brothers from Manbij did not go back, now they will. We’re taking steps to secure Idlib by establishing 12 observational posts in the region.”Video: Turkish Armed Forces start second patrol in Syria’s ManbijThe Manbij roadmap was first announced after a meeting in Washington between Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city and ensuring stability in the region.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.Largest tribe in Manbij back Turkish patrol forcesTurkey to continue destroying PKK strongholds in Qandil
Senior PKK terrorists killed in Qandil airstrike, says Erdoğan
Broken families
Um Eyham a resident of Tukar village was forced to migrate from her native village, first by Daesh and then YPG/PKK.
She fears for her life if she returns to her native village.
"We are living in Tukar village. My children and relatives are in PKK-held areas in Manbij. We cannot go to them in any way. We want Turkey and FSA to clean the area of PKK,” said Eyham.
Noting the terrorists open fire at the Turkish military and FSA, she said: "We cannot move, we are afraid. They can hit us. We do not know what to do. We just want safety. I hope Turkey and the FSA will clear this region from terrorists."