Kurdish-led forces besiege, reach entrances of Manbij

KOBANI, Syrian Kurdistan (Kurdistan24) – On Thursday, the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured several villages around the northern Syrian town of Manbij and reached the entrances to the city.

Kurdistan24 reporters embedded with the SDF operation captured photos and videos, talked to several SDF fighters and commanders, and reported the latest updates of the ongoing military operation.

“Our forces are on the eastern entrance of the town and we can shell Da’esh targets inside the city,” an SDF fighter who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Kurdistan24, explaining that they are not allowed to talk openly to the media agencies for military and security reasons.

From a temporary military position that is 4 km/2 miles east of Manbij, Kurdistan24 correspondent Ekrem Salih reported that the SDF cannot attack the town because it will put the lives of civilians at risk.

“According to the latest information we obtained from SDF leadership, the eastern, northern and southern sides of the town are controlled by SDF, and they are waiting for information by their agents inside Manbij to determine the right time to attack,” Salih said.

Regarding the death toll in the operation that was launched on May 31, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict using sources on the ground, reported on Thursday that the SDF lost 21 fighters while about 132 IS insurgents were killed.

Additionally, about 67 civilians lost their lives, including the 37 civilians who died on Thursday in the village of Ghandoura (some 7 km/4 miles to Manbij).

“About 11 children and 4 women were killed by US-led coalition airstrikes in the villages of Ojektah and Shibali, east of Manbij, and 7 civilians were killed by IS shelling on the village of Khirbat al-Roos in the southern countryside of Manbij,” the Syrian observatory said.  

Editing by Ava Homa