MMC: Military the only option left to free Manbij center

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) - In an announcement on Friday, Manbij Military Council (MMC) stated that they will attack the remaining bases of the Islamic State (IS) in the center of Manbij, northern Syria.

MMC mentions that since Manbij offensive began, they have freed more than 170,000 civilians inside the city from the jihadists. 

The announcement notes that MMC and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have taken all necessary measures to protect and rescue civilians. It states that both forces have called on IS in the last few days to allow civilians to move out from the battle zone, but IS has rejected it and uses civilians as a war shield.

There is no other option other than a military one to liberate the center of Manbij and free the hostages, MMC emphasized. According to MMC, now jihadists are present only in the neighborhood of Hay Serb.

On August 9, in the liberated square of Al-Jazira in Manbij, several civilians who fled the IS-held pockets recently talked to Kurdistan24 and narrated IS arbitrary detentions of civilians. 

Rashid, a Syrian Kurdish man from Manbij, told Kurdistan24 about his cousin’s death in Al-Jazira square.

“My cousin, Mustafa Kaso was beheaded and remained hanging for four days on this cross,” sobbed Rashid.

Rashid said that IS arrested Kurds mostly accusing them of being apostates, disbelievers or spies.

Moreover, Amsha, an Arab woman in her 50s said her son was shot by an IS sniper.

“IS burned my heart by killing my son who was a father of six girls and two boys,” Amsha said.

Amsha added that the living conditions were miserable.

“We are starving. There is no food and no water,” she said.

On May 31, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the fighters of Manbij Military Council (MMC) launched the Manbij operation.

Editing by Ava Homa