Despite regime troops, Syrians in Manbij still fear Turkey

MANBIJ, Syria: Syrian forces have deployed around the city of Manbij at the request of the Kurds, but Abu Azeez Jaber still fears a US military withdrawal will see Turkish troops enter.

"People are terrified first of the Americans withdrawing, and second of the Turks entering," the 48-year-old cook said.

Since 2016, the strategic northern city on the Turkish border has been controlled by an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the US-led coalition.

But last week, President Donald Trump suddenly said US troops would depart from Syria, leaving Manbij residents dreading a long-threatened attack by Turkey.

On Friday, Syria’s army announced it had sent troops to the region, after Kurdish forces said they had requested the regime’s help.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said around 300 government forces were sent to the area around the Arab-majority city.

"We haven’t seen the Syrian army in the city, but we’re hearing it will enter," Jaber added.

Nearly eight years into Syria’s civil war, President Bashar al-Assad has set his sights on regaining north and northeastern parts of Syria from Kurdish-led forces.

A local Manbij official on Friday however told AFP pro-Damascus forces would not enter the actual city of Manbij under a deal brokered by regime ally Russia.

Instead, their deployment creates a buffer to separate the Turkish army and its proxies from the Kurds and their Arab allies, after repeated threats by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to march on the city. On Saturday, an AFP correspondent saw no signs of any Syrian troops inside the city.

But local forces were on high alert, and carefully inspected the identity papers and vehicles of all those entering Manbij.

Inside, well-armed fighters stood by trucks equipped with heavy machine guns deployed across the city’s main streets.

On its outskirts, a US armoured vehicle led a coalition patrol of four white trucks. More coalition vehicles were also parked outside a US base inside Manbij.