US-backed Kurdish forces are withdrawing from the Kurdish-controlled city of Manbij, located near the border with Turkey in northern Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander, Mazloum Abdi, announced that SDF fighters are continuing their resistance in the city but have reached a ceasefire agreement through US mediation and agreed to withdraw.
The withdrawal comes after reports that Turkey launched an attack on the Tishreen Dam near Manbij, causing a power outage and raising concerns about the dam's stability. The Energy Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria confirmed that Turkish drones targeted the dam, rendering it out of service and posing a threat of flooding and potential collapse.
Commander Abdi assured that his forces would remain vigilant in protecting the strategic Tishreen Dam, situated on the Euphrates River. However, the situation remains tense as at least two civilians, including a 12-year-old child, were killed in a recent attack on a Kurdish village in Syria. The SDF reported that a Turkish combat drone operated by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) targeted the village of Ja'dah, located west of Kobani, another Kurdish city under SDF control near the Turkish border.
The escalating conflict in northern Syria underscores the complex dynamics at play in the region, with various armed groups vying for control and influence. The US-backed Kurdish forces' withdrawal from Manbij and the attacks on civilian areas highlight the ongoing challenges faced by the local population amidst the shifting political and military landscape.
