‘In the first phase, we will infiltrate the city with 1,200 maroon berets. We will enter the front lines of Manbij simultaneously and defeat the terrorists,’ says FSA commander
Hamza Brigade troops belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) will be the first unit to enter the northeastern Syrian city of Manbij after the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and FSA launch an operation to eradicate Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists from the region.
Seyf Ebubekir, commander of the Hamza Brigade troops, divulged the details of the upcoming operation in an exclusive interview to Yeni Şafak daily and said, “In the first phase, we will infiltrate the town with 1,200 maroon berets. We will enter the front lines of Manbij simultaneously and defeat the terrorists.”
Stressing that 6,500 troops, including 1200 maroon berets, are under his command, Ebubekir said, “We will besiege Manbij with intense fire. We also designated possible areas where the terrorists could flee.”
He also stressed that he will personally deliver all the troops to Manbij if necessary.
“Some of our units have been trained by Turkey. Turkish soldiers are our brothers,” Ebubekir said.
Turkey and the FSA have deployed tens of thousands of troops to the Syrian city of Manbij since Saturday.
The deployment comes after Trump made the surprise announcement that the U.S. would withdraw its troops from Syria, following an Oct. 14 phone call with Erdoğan in which the two leaders agreed on the need for more effective coordination over the war-torn country.
Turkey has repeatedly voiced frustration over what it says is the slow implementation of a deal with Washington to pull YPG/PKK terrorists out of Manbij, a town in mainly Arab territory west of the Euphrates.
“We don’t have any problem with our Kurdish brothers. Under my command, there is the Kurdish Hawks Brigade which consists of 500 Kurdish brothers. We will root out PKK terrorists and take all the necessary measures to prevent them from returning.”
“All we want is to enter Manbij, which is occupied by the terrorists, and raise the Turkish and FSA flags.”
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
