Conflicting reports on Syrian entry into key Kurdish town of – CBS News

Syria’s military announced Friday it had entered the flash-point Kurdish-held town of Manbij and raised the national flag there, where Turkey has threatened an offensive. A Kurdish official said the government troops arrived only at the front lines.

Ilham Ahmed, the senior Kurdish official, said U.S. troops haven’t withdrawn from Manbij. U.S. troops patrol the tense front lines between Manbij and adjacent towns, where Turkey-backed fighters have been based.

She said an agreement is being worked out with the Russians and the Syrian government that in case of a full U.S. withdrawal, the government would take over.

“The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive,” Ahmed said. “If the Turks’ excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government.”

There was no immediate comment from the U.S.

President Trump suddenly announced earlier this month he was pulling out the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. 

A resident of Manbij who spoke to The Associated Press from the town on condition of anonymity said there was no sign of Syrian government troops.

Pro-state Syrian TV aired footage from inside Manbij of commercial streets on a rainy day, but didn’t show any troops. It aired images of a military convoy driving late at night, reportedly to Manbij.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have deployed around Manbij on the front line with the Turkey-backed fighters to the west.

The Syrian military declaration came shortly after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said the Kurds have no authority to make statements on behalf of the region’s people and said it was closely monitoring the situation in Manbij.

The Syrian Kurdish group, which had partnered with the U.S. since 2014 to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has sought new allies in light of Mr. Trump’s announcement, reaching out to Damascus and the Russians to protect their Kurdish-administered areas in north Syria.

The Syrian government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority. But government officials have stated they won’t consider an autonomous area, a main demand of the Kurds.

The announcement by the Syrian military was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called it a “positive step” that could help stabilize the situation. Russia is a stanch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Syria’s supposed entry into Manbij comes a day before Moscow is to host top Turkish officials to discuss the crisis in Syria in light of the announced U.S. withdrawal.

Turkey, which views the Kurdish militia as a terrorist group, had been threatening a military operation against Manbij. Turkey and its allied fighters have been massing troops around Manbij in recent days.

The conflicting reports reflect that all sides are scrambling to reach a deal on how to replace U.S. troops following the Trump announcement. A timetable for the withdrawal hasn’t yet been made public. 

Mr. Trump said the main reason U.S. troops were in Syria was to battle ISIS and that ISIS had been defeated — a widely disputed contention.

Critics decried his decision, saying removing U.S. troops would leave the Kurds vulnerable to a Turkish attack and that it would show the U.S. isn’t a reliable partner. They also asserted Syria would then be much more vulnerable to Russian and Iranian influence, and leave Assad in power.

A statement on the Syrian Kurdish militia group’s website said its forces would now focus on the fight against ISIS to the east of the Euphrates River.