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Turkey to attack Kurdish forces in Manbij unless they retreat: Turkish FM

Xinhua, March 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

Turkey will attack the Kurdish-backed militants in northern Syria's Manbij city "unless they withdraw," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, as reported by Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

Turkey will strike the Peoples' Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), if they do not withdraw from Manbij, said Cavusoglu.

Syria's PYD and YPG must exit Manbij as it is the next target of the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.

Manbij is a city in the Syrian Aleppo Governorate, about 30 km south of the border between Turkey and Syria.

The city is also a previous Islamic State (IS) bastion, currently controlled by Kurdish forces.

Turkey regards the PYD and YPG as terrorist organizations due to their links to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey's army launched "Operation Euphrates Shield "on Aug. 24, 2016, in order to drive out terrorist organizations from its borders including the IS and Kurdish militants, mainly the PYD.

Turkey has repeatedly vowed to prevent PKK and PYD from establishing a corridor for terrorists on Turkey's doorstep. Endit