Have Syrian Army Entered the City of Manbij ?

On Friday, The General Command of the Syrian Armed Forces, with publishing a statement, gave news about Syrian army forces entering the city of Manbij in northeast of Aleppo province

An important news which led to a vast wave of reactions from media activists; but the truth is a little bit different from what is published in the news.

The issue of SAA’s presence in regions, which are under the control of the Kurds around Manbij and eastern Euphrates, have a long history. The important point is that the Syria’s kurds have never destroyed all the bridges behind them for negotiating with Damascus, and the negotiations, despite its up and downs, have always been going on.

Also during these past days because of the things that happened and the current changes in the region, Kurd’s negotiations with Damascus have entered in a new chapter and different than what have been going on before.

Although the details of the negotiations have not been published officially, however, understanding it, based on field changes, is not a difficult task for those who follow the developments of Syria.

It seems that agreement between the government and the Kurds will implemented in couple of stages and every stage will be dependant on joint decisions and according to existing capacities, and until it is executable.

So in its first stage we witnessed the campaign of Syrian Army towards the town of Arimah in west of Manbij; during the many denies (that the SAA is not present) the SAA’s forces deployed in Arimah.

Of course last year in March the SAA forces have been deployed in western countryside of Arimah in order to prevent the influence of Turkey’s militias, which back in those days they were advancing towards Arimah under the Turkish army’s operation called “Euphrates Shield”. so the presence of Syrian forces around Arimah was not a new subject, and isn’t.

And in the second stage of agreement between Syrian government and the Kurds, the SAA forces have strongly began their next step towards entering the city of Manbij and they will  deploy in contact lines of Kurds (Manbij Military Council) with Turkey’s militias in northern areas of Manbij. the strong step of SAA is the published announcement of the General Command of the Syrian Armed Forces!

Until the writing of this text (16:00, Friday), the SAA forces have not entered the city of Manbij, and all the news about the SAA forces entering the city is lie or incorrect.

Today a delegation of Syrian and Russian forces entered the city and talked with “Manbij Military Council” members and left the city once the talks ended, but the SAA forces have not yet entered the city.

Although the people in the city are hoisting the flag of Syria on the roof of their houses, and obviously the SAA will enter Manbij.

In fact, The Syrian Armed Forces with publishing an official statement, saying that the army have entered Manbij, made Turkey and Erdogan to understand and warned them that the government is determined to take back the occupied regions, and the way for another foreigner to enter Syria is closed.

So that was the reason that Erdogan today, after this news, stated that the SAA have began a psychological warfare inside of Manbij, and that the parties must not do provocative actions.

He said that our goal is to give YPG a lesson, and we don’t want to disintegrate Syria, and if the threats from terrorist are neutralized, we are gone!

On the other hand, the official account of YPG published a statement, saying that YPG forces have retreated(or will retreat) from western Euphrates and handed it to Syrian army.

Maybe the Kurds have learned their lesson from Afrin…

According to the information at hand, the further stages of the agreement between the Kurds and government, will include eastern Euphrates and the control of these regions will gradually goes back to government. Of course it is to soon to talk about this and the quality of its implementation, we must wait and see what happens.