MESOPOTAMIA NEWS BREAKING : Turkey Against Syrian Army Control over Manbij

Basnews English – 18/01/2019 – 18:56 – ERBIL — Turkey said on Friday that it would not accept the presence of Syrian regime in the Kurdish city of Manbij in northern Syria.

“In no case can we facilitate the provocations by the Syrian regime in Manbij, as well as attempts by members of the YPG [Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units] to open the door to the regime’s forces,” Sputnik quoted Turkish Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Hami Aksoy.

The official reiterated his country’s commitment to remove the YPG from the region as Ankara views them a threat to its national security despite good relations between the US and Syrian Kurds.

“Clearing the YPG out of Manbij is a matter of national security for us.”

The remarks came two days after a deadly blast rocked central Manbij, killing and wounding dozens of people, including US servicemen. “The terrorist attack in Manbij once again showed the importance of clearing the region of terrorists and the need to implement the road map for Manbij,” Aksoy added.