Turkey, US spat over Syria's Manbij threatens to boil over
Turkey is looking to launch a military operation in Manbij, a strategically important city in northern Syria. Washington has voiced concern about the safety of US troops in Manbij amid Turkey's ongoing border security mission.
On January 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG and Daesh terrorists from Afrin in northwestern Syria. January 28, 2018
Manbij is a bone of contention for both Turkey and the US – but why is the Syrian city so important to both countries?
Turkish and US troops, deployed alongside local fighters, have carved out rival areas of influence on Syria’s northern border.
To Ankara’s dismay, Washington allied itself with a force led by the YPG, a group which Turkey says is commanded by the same leaders overseeing the PKK armed campaign in its southeast.
The dispute has come to a head over the Syrian town of Manbij, where Turkey has threatened to drive out a YPG-led force as part of its ongoing Operation Olive Branch.
Manbij lies northeast of Syria's Aleppo and just south of the Turkish border.
Washington has voiced concern about the safety of around 2,000 US troops in Manbij.
TRT World's Hassan Abdullah has more.
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