US, Turkish forces to patrol Manbij, Turkish minister says
Turkish and U.S. troops will patrol the key Kurdish-controlled northern Syrian town of Manbij as part of a deal reached this week for the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkey's Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli announced.
Speaking in Brussels after a NATO summit late June 8, Canikli said he met his American counterpart James Mattis.
"We had a very detailed, constructive and positive meeting on the Manbij roadmap," he said.
Turkey has repeatedly called on the U.S. to stop backing the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The U.S.-backed force has been instrumental in fighting the Islamic State (IS) group and pushing them out of northern Syria, including in Manbij.
Canikli’s comments were carried by Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.
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