Agencies, Syria :
Kurdish-led forces have launched an offensive to capture the Syrian town of Manbij, a suspected supply route for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group to smuggle weapons in from Turkey.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of armed groups led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), was mobilising near Manbij in the northern province of Aleppo on Thursday, the AFP news agency reported.
In the past 24 hours, 18 coalition air strikes are reported to have targeted positions held by ISIL, also known as ISIS.
Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria analyst for the Institute for the Study of War in Washington DC, said if anti-ISIL fighters take Manbij and then Jarablus, that would sever ISIL’s link with Turkey.
“Recapturing Manbij and ultimately advancing to Jarablus would disrupt but not eliminate ISIS’s ability to resupply,” she said.
The US-led coalition has long had its eye on the so-called Manbij pocket.
But an offensive on this mainly Arab region has run into opposition from Turkey, a key partner in the alliance.
The US sees the SDF – which is dominated by YPG – as the most effective ground force against ISIL in Syria.
The SDF was founded in Syria’s mainly Kurdish northeastern region in October 2015, and is made up of at least 15 armed factions – mostly fighters from the YPG and the Free Syrian Army.
On Wednesday Pentagon officials stressed that the attack on Manbij was being led by the Arab component of the SDF.
Turkey unhappy
Turkey regards the YPG as a branch of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state.
Last week, AFP photos of US special forces wearing YPG patches on their uniforms angered Turkey.
The US responded by telling these forces to stop wearing the badge, but insisted that US troops would continue to help the Kurdish fighters, saying they were taking on ISIL fighters efficiently.
Kurdish-led forces have launched an offensive to capture the Syrian town of Manbij, a suspected supply route for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group to smuggle weapons in from Turkey.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of armed groups led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), was mobilising near Manbij in the northern province of Aleppo on Thursday, the AFP news agency reported.
In the past 24 hours, 18 coalition air strikes are reported to have targeted positions held by ISIL, also known as ISIS.
Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria analyst for the Institute for the Study of War in Washington DC, said if anti-ISIL fighters take Manbij and then Jarablus, that would sever ISIL’s link with Turkey.
“Recapturing Manbij and ultimately advancing to Jarablus would disrupt but not eliminate ISIS’s ability to resupply,” she said.
The US-led coalition has long had its eye on the so-called Manbij pocket.
But an offensive on this mainly Arab region has run into opposition from Turkey, a key partner in the alliance.
The US sees the SDF – which is dominated by YPG – as the most effective ground force against ISIL in Syria.
The SDF was founded in Syria’s mainly Kurdish northeastern region in October 2015, and is made up of at least 15 armed factions – mostly fighters from the YPG and the Free Syrian Army.
On Wednesday Pentagon officials stressed that the attack on Manbij was being led by the Arab component of the SDF.
Turkey unhappy
Turkey regards the YPG as a branch of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state.
Last week, AFP photos of US special forces wearing YPG patches on their uniforms angered Turkey.
The US responded by telling these forces to stop wearing the badge, but insisted that US troops would continue to help the Kurdish fighters, saying they were taking on ISIL fighters efficiently.
