Syrian government troops are taking positions in the neighborhoods of Manbij in northern Syria in order to prevent a possible attack by Turkish forces on the city, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene
MANBIJ (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) Syrian government troops are taking positions in the neighborhoods of Manbij in northern Syria in order to prevent a possible attack by Turkish forces on the city, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.Syrian state tv reported on Monday that units of the Syrian army had entered the city, which had been previously held by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and patrolled by US troops. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government agreed over the weekend on the deployment of Syrian army units along the border with Turkey.
"We entered the city without a fight. We were given the positions. We are glad that these places have returned under the protection of their homeland. Perhaps the population was intimidated by the Syrian army. But they are our citizens, and we came to protect them. God willing, we will reach the border and return the Turks to where they came from. We are here so that those who have come could not even think about their plans," a Syrian army officer told Sputnik.
Residents of local settlements met the government troops with national flags and requests for joint photographs.
"We, as residents of these lands, salute the Syrian army. There was a great alarm among us after the start of the Turkish operation. But now the danger is left behind ... as the army has come," a local resident told Sputnik.
On October 9, Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria in a bid to create a "safe zone" along the border that would be free of Kurdish militias, whom it considers an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (banned by Ankara). Turkish troops have already claimed control over the cities of Ras al-Ain and Tell Abiad.
As the United States pulled its troops out of the areas of the Turkish offensive, leaving the allied Kurds on their own, the latter turned to Damascus for help. Government troops have since been deployed to the north to assist them in repelling the Turkish offensive. Damascus views Turkey's offensive in northern Syria as violation of the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The international community has already voiced concerns that the Turkish incursion could worsen the humanitarian situation in the region and hamper the efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis. The Russian Foreign Ministry said commenting on Turkey's operation that it was important to prevent further destabilization in northeastern Syria.
