SDF commander Mazlum Kobane told Hawar News Agency that the situation in that city had already resolved itself, saying that the SDF had withdrawn within two months of the agreement being signed between Turkey and the US.
“Manbij is now in a state of stability, the people of Manbij are running their own affairs, and the Manbij Military Council is defending the region,” he said according to Hawar.
“We have fully implemented all its responsibilities and all the provisions of that agreement. The one who stalled the implementation of the terms of the agreement and did not comply is the Turkish state,” Kobane added.
“With the withdrawal of our troops and military advisers from Manbij, and we have fulfilled this promise, we have successfully fulfilled all our commitments.”
The SDF stated on August 14 that they had their own plans for the proposed safe zone that would incorporate a number of local forces and would become a shield that protects against Turkish intervention into northeastern Syria.
Turkey and the United States agreed last week to set up the joint operations center for the proposed zone along Syria’s northeast border but gave few details, such as the size of the zone itself or the command structure of forces that would operate there, according to Reuters.
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