Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Feb. 4

ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that 935 terrorists have been "neutralized" since Turkey launched a military offensive against Syria's Afrin held by Kurdish militia on Jan. 20.

"Of course, we also have martyrs," the president told reporters in Istanbul prior to his departure for the Vatican for a visit. (Turkey-Afrin Operation)

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DUBAI -- United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Abraaj Group, one of the biggest private equity firms in the Middle East, said here Sunday that "unused capital" for its Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund (AGHF) was returned to all investors, denying a New York Times report which stated that some investors allegedly accused the group of having "misused funds."

Abraaj (Arabic for 'towers') said following discussions with investors that it "returned the unused capital to all investors in the fund at the end of December 2017." (UAE-Abraaj-Misused funds)

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RABAT -- Moroccan coast guards have recovered the bodies of 16 migrants off its northern coast near the Spanish enclave of Melilla, local media reported Sunday.

The bodies were taken to the morgue of Al Hassani hospital in the northern city of Nador, the Alyaoum24.com news website reported. (Morocco-Migrants-Deaths)

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ANKARA -- Defying the U.S. warnings, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag warned Sunday that Turkish troops will move into Manbij if the Kurdish forces refuse to leave.

If the Kurdish forces of the People's Protection Units (YPG), do not leave Manbij in northern Syria, Turkish troops "will move into Manbij and toward the east of Euphrates," Bozdag told the local channel CNN Turk. (Turkey-U.S.-Manbij) Enditem