Manbij

October 16, 2019, 2:42 pm

Syria troops fighting Turkish forces alongside Kurds, says monitor

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports government troops in town of Ain Issa; Russian envoy says Ankara and Damascus officials in contact to avoid ‘unacceptable’ clashes

By AFP

Smoke and dust billows from targets in Ras al-Ayn, Syria, caused by bombardment by Turkish forces, October 15, 2019. (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)

October 15, 2019, 3:21 pm

Erdogan: Syria offensive to continue until ‘objectives achieved’

Forces aiming to secure the region stretching from Manbij to Iraqi border, enable return of millions of Syria refugees, says Turkish leader

By Agencies and TOI staff

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during an extended meeting with provincial heads of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Turkey, on October 10, 2019. (Adem ALTAN / AFP)

October 10, 2019, 4:00 pm

Erdogan threatens EU with refugee influx if it criticizes Syria operation

Turkish president says he will allow millions of refugees to head to Europe if bloc censures Ankara over military offensive against Kurdish forces

By AFP

In this photo from December 30, 2018, shows a line of US military vehicles in Syria's northern city of Manbij. (Delil Souleiman/AFP)

March 9, 2019, 6:52 pm

IS attack on US-led coalition wounds two allied fighters

Jihadist hits convoy that includes US armored vehicle, anti-IS coalition fighters in city of Manbij, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says

By AFP

US Senator Lindsey Graham holds a media conference at JW Marriott Hotel in Ankara, on January 19, 2019. (Adem ALTAN / AFP)

January 19, 2019, 1:43 pm

Graham urges slow Syria pullout to prevent ‘nightmare’ scenario for Israel

Top Republican tells reporters in Istanbul he hopes Trump will curtail withdrawal of US forces until Islamic State completely destroyed

By AFP

Two US Air Force F-22 Raptors fly over Syria, February 2, 2018, while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. (US Air National Guard/Staff Sgt. Colton Elliott)

January 18, 2019, 3:39 am

US-led coalition bombs Syrian mosque being used by IS

Airstrike comes day after four US soldiers killed in suicide bombing, underlining jihadist group’s continued presence despite looming troop pullout

By AFP

File: Smoke and debris rising after Syrian government shelling of the city of Deir el-Zour during a battle against Islamic State in 2017 (SANA via AP)

January 17, 2019, 6:05 pm

US-led coalition airstrikes pound IS areas in eastern Syria

Aerial bombardment of Deir el-Zour, group’s last stronghold in country, said to be a response to attack that killed 19, including 4 Americans

By AP

An image grab taken from a video obtained by AFPTV on January 16, 2019, shows US troops gathered at the scene of a suicide attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. (AFP)

January 16, 2019, 5:39 pm

US soldiers killed in Islamic State bombing in Syria

US military confirms American service members among casualties in suicide bombing targeting coalition forces in northern city of Manbij

By Agencies

Syrian government soldiers ride in an army truck near the Nassib border crossing with Jordan in the southern province of Daraa on July 6, 2018, after they regained control over it from rebel forces. (AFP PHOTO / Mohamad ABAZEED)

December 28, 2018, 1:16 pm

Syrian military takes control of flashpoint Kurdish-held town

Syria says it raised the state flag in Manbij after the Kurds, left exposed by a US pledge to withdraw troops, asked for the regime’s help facing a threatened Turkish offensive

By Agencies

In this photo taken Thursday, November 1, 2018, Turkish and US troops conduct joint patrols around the Syrian town of Manbij, as part of an agreement that aimed to ease tensions between the two NATO allies. (Turkish Defence Ministry via AP, Pool)

December 23, 2018, 6:37 am

Turkey sends more troops to Syrian Kurdish area as US pulls out — monitor

Tanks and other heavy equipment seen moving into northeastern region day after Erdogan vows to push out both Kurdish fighters and Islamic State

By AFP

American IDF veteran Jonathan Leibovits (center) in Syria fighting alongside YPG forges against IS jihadists in 2016. (screen capture: Channel 10)

July 22, 2018, 2:30 am

Ex-IDF soldier from California sneaked into Syria to fight Islamic State

Jonathan Leibovits says training from his days in the Givati Brigade helped prepare him for battle to capture key city of Manbij from jihadists

By TOI staff

In this April 4, 2018 file photo, a US-backed Syrian Manbij Military Council soldier passes a US position near the tense front line with Turkish-backed fighters, in Manbij, north Syria. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

July 16, 2018, 6:36 am

Last of Kurdish militia leave Syria’s Manbij to defuse Turkey tensions

Ankara had threatened to advance toward northern city to oust YPG fighters, who had stayed after defeating IS, raising fears of clash with US and French troops also stationed there

By AFP

A Turkish military truck carries a tank as it is dispatched to the border in Hatay, near the Turkey-Syria border, on January 31, 2018. (OZAN KOSE/AFP)

February 4, 2018, 4:16 pm

Turkey warns US troops may be fired on as Syria offensive widens

Deputy Prime Minister Bozdag says American troops wearing uniforms of Washington-allied, Ankara-opposed Kurdish militias could be accidentally targeted

By AFP

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses local administrators in Ankara, Turkey, January 24, 2018. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Pool Photo via AP)

January 24, 2018, 5:37 pm

Turkey vows to widen offensive against Syrian Kurds

President Erdogan’s determination to eradicate Kurdish militias from border area brings his troops closer to US forces

By Suzan Fraser and NATALIYA VASILYEVA

In this February 22, 2015, file photo, Turkish military vehicles and tanks drive in the Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani, Syria. (AP Photo/Mursel Coban, Depo Photos, File)

March 12, 2017, 3:24 am

Turkey’s determination against Kurds alienates US, Russia

Ankara’s move against Kurdish-held Manbij has brought rare agreement between Moscow and Washington – and led US troops into the fray

By Sarah El Deeb