According to AFP the MGK, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in a statement that "It has been stated that terrorists in Manbij should leave the region immediately, otherwise Turkey will not hesitate to take the initiative there as it did in other regions.”

Ankara launched an air and ground offensive in Afrin in January against the Kurdish fighters of YPG there.

On March 18, Turkish forces and their rebel allies took full control of Afrin.

Manbij was once held by Islamic State (IS) militants before they were pushed out by Kurdish forces.

The U.S. has repeatedly warned that Turkey's campaign in Afrin has risked distracting from the fight against IS.

Reporter’s code: 50101