'Talk of Turkish-US control in Syria's Manbij premature'

A local official in northern Syria's Manbij region says an assertion by the Turkish government that US and Turkish forces will temporarily control Kurdish-populated Syrian town is "premature (and) lacks credibility".

Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council was responding to a statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that the US and Turkish forces would hold the Manbij region until a new administration is created.

"The Turkish statements are a way of exerting pressure and creating confusion in Manbij, impacting its stability," media outlets quoted Darwish as saying.

The local official noted that no agreement had yet been reached between Turkey and the United States on the future of Manbij.

Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that Plans for a roadmap in Syria's Manbij may be implemented before the end of the summer if Turkey and the United States reach an agreement. 

The top Turkish diplomat said US and Turkish forces would control the Manbij region until a new administration was formed under the understanding reached with Washington. 

US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said during a daily press briefing on May 29 that the United States doesn’t have any agreements yet with Turkey on Manbij. 

US officials held talks with their Turkish counterparts in Ankara on Friday as part of a working group on Syria. The working group was formed to resolve the disputes between Ankara and Washington over Manbij. 

PressTV-US, Turkey agree on 'roadmap' over Syria's Manbij

The US and Turkey agree on a roadmap to resolve their disputes over Syria's Kurdish-held city of Manbij.

Last December, US President Donald Trump approved providing weapons worth $393 million to what Washington calls partners in Syria, including the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

The following month, the US announced plans to create a 30,000-strong force comprised of Kurdish militants, which would be deployed along the Turkish border.

The US measures prompted Ankara to launch the ongoing Olive Branch offensive against the purported positions of the YPG in Syria’s northwestern enclave of Afrin in January without permission from the Syrian government.

Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to take the offensive to Manbij, raising concerns over the likelihood of a confrontation between Turkish and American troops.

About 2,000 US troops are deployed in northeast Syria in territories under the control of Kurdish militants. Both Moscow and Damascus have repeatedly warned that the illegal US presence in Syria is meant to disintegrate the country.

PressTV-'US sets up base in Syria's Manbij after Turkish threats'

An SDF official says US forces have set up a new base in Syria’s northern town of Manbij in the wake Turkey’s threat to attack the area.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, more than 280 civilians have been killed during the Turkish offensive.

The Manbij Military Council is affiliated with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which control large parts of northern Syria.

Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group that has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

This is while US officials regard the YPG as the most effective fighting force against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in northern Syria, and have substantially increased their weaponry and technology support to the group.

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