afrinpost-Exclusive
The Turkish army has initiated a series of attacks on villages in the Manbij countryside in an attempt to seize them. Exploiting the heightened alert stemming from the conflicts in Deir ez-Zor, the Turkish army has deceptively portrayed these incursions as being conducted by tribal forces rather than the National Army militias. Additionally, they have enlisted members of the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” organization, commonly known as HTS.
The Military Council of Manbij posted on its official Facebook page in the early hours of September 6th, “Our forces have observed movements and deployments by ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) – an internationally recognized terrorist organization. They have stationed themselves on the outskirts of Manbij city, specifically in several villages to the west and north of the city, particularly the villages of Al-Yashli and Al-Sheikh Naser, which are approximately 19 kilometers away. They have also installed heavy weaponry and forcibly evacuated the villages.”
The Council further explained that these HTS movements are in coordination with the Turkish forces and the Syrian National Army. This comes after the forces of the Manbij Military Council successfully thwarted all attacks by the Turkish army and its backed-militias in the Manbij countryside. The villages occupied by HTS were previously held by the Turkish army and SNA groups.
Since September 1, 2023, the Manbij countryside has been the target of attacks by militias affiliated with the Turkish forces, coinciding with the outbreak of clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces and armed groups in Deir ez-Zor. These clashes began following the announcement of a security reinforcement operation on August 27, 2023, concentrated in five villages in the Deir ez-Zor countryside.
Two days ago, the Military Council reported that, according to confirmed information from the frontlines, the number of mercenary casualties reached 26 dead and 21 wounded.
On September 2, the North Press reported that a military source disclosed that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham had dispatched 75 members from the “Al-Asa’ib Al-Hamra” brigade to the frontlines in Manbij, ostensibly to support the armed opposition in the Deir ez-Zor countryside.
The presence of HTS members in the contact areas with the Syrian Democratic Forces corresponds to a gradual Turkish plan. This plan began with several instances in which HTS forces entered Afrin. On May 25, 2022, the Media Center of the Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed that Turkey is seeking to create a black belt of “terrorist” extremist Islamic organizations in the contact lines between the areas under its control in northern Syria on one side, and the areas under the control of the Syrian regime and the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces on the other.
Furthermore, some Turkish-affiliated media outlets have denied the news of the deployment of HTS elements in Manbij villages. However, information about the presence of HTS militants comes from multiple sources. Nevertheless, the Turkish authorities have instructed all combatants to wear civilian clothing and not to publicize the names of the militias, in order to maintain the deception that the fighters are solely from the tribes.
