The Coalition tweeted from its official account that: “Despite incorrect information about changes to military forces in the city of Manbij, Syria, [the Coalition] has seen no indication that these claims are true.”
It added, “we call on everyone to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens.”
It is worth mentioning that the co-chair of the Diplomatic Committee of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Salih Muslim stated that goverment units will operate on the outskirts in cooperation with the Manbij Military Council, which will remain in control of the center of town.
“The reports that the Syrian government forces entered the city are not true. No Syrian government force is in Manbij right now and they will not be,” Muslim said in a phone call.
The Syrian army said it entered Manbij for the first time in years on Friday morning after Kurdish YPG fighters urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks, according to Reuters.
The YPG announced the move in a tweet, writing: “We invite the Syrian government forces to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particularly Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion.”
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