ISIL forced out of strategic Syrian city of Manbij

[rooster59]

ISIL forced out of strategic Syrian city of Manbij

 

 

US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters say they have seized full control of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, liberating more than 2,000 civilian hostages who had been held as human shields.

 

But relief for residents who had been forced to live under the so-called Islamic State group’s rule comes amid reports that remaining jihadists fled in 500 cars taking large numbers of civilians with them.

 

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), with heavy air support from a US-led coalition, have been fighting to free Manbij for more than two months.

 

Sharfan Darwish of the SDF-allied Manbij Military Council told Reuters: “The city is now fully under our control but we are undertaking sweeping operations.”

 

Kurdish sources and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria’s five-year-old conflict, later said that around 500 cars had left Manbij carrying ISIL members and civilians.

 

They were heading northeast towards Jarablus, a town under ISIL control on the Turkish border, the Observatory said.

 

The loss of Manbij is a huge blow to ISIL which has used the city as a transit point for foreign jihadists and provisions from the Turkish border.

 

The Manbij operation, in which US special forces have played a significant role on the ground, marks the most ambitious advance by a group allied to Washington in Syria since the United States launched its military campaign against ISIL two years ago.

 

US officials have said victory in Manbij paves the way to move on ISIL’s de facto capital of Raqqa in what is anticipated to be a hugely difficult battle.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-08-14

[craigt3365]

Keep up the good work! 

[Caps]

keep it coming, soon the rats will have nowhere left to hide 

[Credo]

Al Qaeda was the predecessor to ISIS and was basically a breakaway branch.   There are numerous other major jihadi groups functioning throughout the region and in Africa.   

 

Defeating ISIS is only a battle, and a relatively small battle, in the overall fight against terrorism.   Once defeated, we will see another acronym and another round of blame for who founded them.   

 

Everywhere war has to start somewhere and this is a small step forward for the World, and a big step for those living under its rule.   

[Neurath]

Oh look! Obama's policies have allowed isis/isil to be forced from Manjib. 

 

 

[halloween]

42 minutes ago, Caps said:

keep it coming, soon the rats will have nowhere left to hide 

Perhaps they could migrate to Germany.

[craigt3365]

17 minutes ago, Neurath said:

Oh look! Obama's policies have allowed isis/isil to be forced from Manjib.

Let's not forget what started this in the first place.  A maniacal dictator killing his own innocent civilians.

[Caps]

10 minutes ago, halloween said:

Perhaps they could migrate to Germany.

Yes perhaps! 

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

ISIL forced out of strategic Syrian city of Manbij

Thank you Mr. Trump as the founder of the anti-ISIL forces.

Now that is SARCASM.

[dcpo]

I'm very confused. It looks like IS is being defeated by other Muslims in battle, but I thought IS could only be beaten by non-Muslims banding together and talking shit about Muslims on the internet.

[Neurath]

Oh no, look what's happened! Obama, the founder of ISIS, is now losing in Syria too. There are no depths to which this man will not go. 

[spidermike007]

Even though this is only a small battle, anytime a group of gang rapist, kidnapping, murdering thugs can be forced out of an area, it is a good thing. What I wonder is, was there not a way to put a column on the road, knowing they would be taking hostages? That is their way.