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Syria condemns foreign forces presence in violation of sovereignty

Xinhua, June 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Syria's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday the presence of German and French special forces in northern Syria constitutes a flagrant violation to the sovereignty of Syria.

In a statement, the ministry said that the foreign forces' presence in northern Syria's towns of Ayn al-Arab and Manbej came under a false pretense of fighting terrorism. "This can fool nobody," the ministry said.

Reports said Wednesday that French and German special forces arrived in Manbej and Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane, to help advise the U.S. backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebels in their push against the main strongholds of the Islamic State (IS) group.

The ministry said countering terror needs coordination and cooperation with the legitimate government of Syria.

The SDF, a recently forced rebel group of Arab and Kurdish fighters and led by the Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG), has mounted an offensive in May against key IS strongholds in northern Syria, mainly in the key border city of Manbej and the northern countryside of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the IS.

The SDF has completely laid siege on Manbej and advanced against the IS, local reports said. Endit