HERE WE GO: Erdogan says he’s going to invade Manbij, even it it means a confrontation with US forces!

Erdogan isn’t backing down from his threat to invade Manbij after he’s done in Afrin. He’s now saying that he’ll attack Manbij even if it risks a military confrontation with the US, who has forces in the city along with the SDF:

REUTERS – President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey would extend its military operation in Syria to the town of Manbij, a move that could potentially bring Turkish forces into confrontation with those of their NATO ally the United States.

Turkey’s air and ground “Operation Olive Branch” in the Afrin region of northern Syria is now in its fifth day, targeting Kurdish YPG fighters and opening a new front in Syria’s multi-sided civil war.

A push towards Manbij, in a separate Kurdish-held enclave some 100 km (60 miles) east of Afrin, could threaten U.S. plans to stabilize a swath of northeast Syria.

The United States has around 2,000 special forces troops in Syria, officially as part of an international U.S.-led coalition, assisting the Kurds in battle against Islamic State.

None of the Americans are known to be based in the Afrin area, but they are deployed in the Kurdish-held pocket that includes Manbij. Washington has angered Turkey by providing arms, training and air support to the Syrian Kurdish forces, which Turkey considers enemies.

“With the Olive Branch operation, we have once again thwarted the game of those sneaky forces whose interests in the region are different,” Erdogan said in a speech to provincial leaders in Ankara.

“Starting in Manbij, we will continue to thwart their game.”

Differences over Syria policy have already strained Turkey’s relations with Washington almost to a breaking point. For the United States, the YPG is a key ally against both Islamic State jihadists and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

A Turkish operation in Manbij would be fraught with risk due to the presence of the U.S. military personnel in and around the town. They were deployed there last March to deter Turkish and U.S.-backed rebels from attacking each other and have also carried out training missions in Manbij.

U.S.-backed Syrian fighters in the Manbij area have deployed to frontlines to confront any Turkish assault and are in contact with the U.S.-led coalition over defending the town, their spokesman Sharfan Darwish said on Wednesday.

“We are in full readiness to respond to any attack.”

CNN Turk is reporting that Trump and Erdogan have already spoken on the phone today, and that Trump warned Erdogan not to risk a confrontation with US forces:

https://twitter.com/cnnturk_eng/status/956256558064783360
https://twitter.com/cnnturk_eng/status/956257315891621889
https://twitter.com/cnnturk_eng/status/956257727529062401
https://twitter.com/cnnturk_eng/status/956258138755387398
https://twitter.com/cnnturk_eng/status/956259772235476992

This could get ugly real fast. Although I’m still of the belief that the US and SDF might just pull out of Manbij if Erdogan insists on invading the area. I’m not sure the Trump administration wants to risk war with Turkey over these areas of Syria. But I could be wrong. Defending those who are assisting us in the fight against ISIS seems like something worth fighting for.


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