City of Manbij targeted by Turkish-backed forces as civilians evacuate

~ Cristina Sykes ~ 

The United States Military last night (8 December) issued an explicit warning to jihadist and Turkish-backed factions in Northern Syria to avoid attacks on areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The American warning was issued to both ex-Al Qaeda militia Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and to the Turkish-backed former ISIS group Syrian National Army (SNA)—but not directly to Ankara.   

Over the weekend, HTS successfully took the Syrian capital of Damascus, with reports that president Bashar Al-Assad has escaped to Russia. Dramatic video footage spread last night of the rebels liberating the infamous Sednaya prison in the city.

In the north, fierce fighting between the SNA and SDF continued overnight in the town of Manbij, the former supported by Turkish warplanes and UAVs. After the fall of Aleppo at the start of the attack, Turkish-backed forces targeted the Tel Rifat area north of the city, held by the Kurds since the fall of ISIS in 2018, and the SDF organised the evacuation of civilians towards Manbij and Raqqa.

The SDF, while retreating on their western flank, had actually been progressing further in its southern and eastern flanks into both Raqqa and Deir El Zorr, backed by US strikes. The Kurdish-led forces now occupy Mayadin city, Albu Kamal, and Deir El Zorr city—limiting Iran’s ability to send forces to the region through Iraq. 

Turkey still holds the northern strip of Rojava, the Kurdish autonomous region in northeastern Syria, after the Trump administration handed it over under the guise of a ceasefire agreement. 

The region, officially known as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, has survived so far by playing great power games with the US and Russia. It negotiated with Russian company Gazprom for access to its gas fields, immediately after finalising an agreement with US company Delta Crescent for access to oil fields in Deir El Zorr. 

The United States also provided air support and joint operations with the SDF in the fight against ISIS, and still maintains 900 soldiers in the south of the region. 

At the same time, the US has been very careful to balance this with its relationship with Turkey. In fact, the SDF moniker was adopted to avoid official US collaboration with the Kurdish YPG, the main force in the SDF, after Turkey threatened to leave NATO.

Following the fall of Assad’s regime, Rojava’s future is uncertain. It could become a NATO-backed autonomous region, or be defeated by the Islamist forces, with grave consequences. Rojava might explore closer relations with Iraqi Kurdistan, but the two regions’ differing political approaches could limit this potential alliance.