The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) deployed hundreds of well-equipped soldiers from the 1st Division and the Republican Guards west of the northern city of Manbij in the last 24 hours, a military source told SouthFront on December 26.
Several Syrian pro-government news outlets said that the SAA will enter Manbij soon under an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls the city, and the Damascus government. However, SouthFront’s source declined to confirm or deny these claims.
“We have a principled question: who will control the territory led by the United States? It’s clear the Syrian government should control this part of their territory,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said earlier.
Syrian soldiers, backed up by Russian service members, entered the village of Arima west of Manbij and established a military position there on December 25. The Manbij Military Council (MMC), which is commanded by the SDF, said that Russian forces “reactivated a coordination center in Arima” and that the SAA presence there is not new.
Turkey and its proxies have been preparing to launch an attack on Kurdish forces inside Manbij. In the last few day, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) deployed thousands of fighters north and west of the strategic city.
Despite this escalation, Manbij will likely remain in the hands of the SDF until U.S. and French forces present there withdraw.
Syria is positioning its troops to take over the area around Manbij as it is evacuated by the US. FSA and the Turks will whimper.
LETS SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING i THINK NOTHING IS AT SEEMS ON THE SURFACE sorry for the caps accidental lazy to re write.
Turks, go home!
Perhaps the Turk occupied part of Syria is the key to Syria-beyond-the-Euphrates after all.
Manbij is the key to Rakka, because of the highway.
IT is totally ineffective to deploy big army without having an offensive operation.
But this is only a line of departure on route M4 going ENE. They will be ready when the order comes. :)
actually it is very useful they have crap ton of artillery and tanks both are good defensive weapons as well as offensive.
It’s confirmed as of yesterday, but not just SAA personnel, it’s Russian servicemen too, I wonder why SF doesn’t mention that.
That fact appeared minimally, only once, late in the article and easily missable. But I immediately feared for the coming treachery I now automatically assume is being planned with my U.S. tax dollars!
It didn’t make it obvious that they were there to stay though, “Syrian soldiers, backed up by Russian service members, entered the village of Arima”, the way that’s worded doesn’t necessarily make it obvious the Russians are there to stay too, but from other statements we know they are, just poor wording by SF as usual. I think Trump’s going to look after the US tax dollar a lot better than any of the recent Presidents have, and the only treachery I see coming from Trump is when he backflips on Erdogan and lets him fail in his invasion. Trump might actually help regain some of the respect the US used to have with most other nations.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I absolutely agree, SF’s writing did not provide our wished for clarity, but they are not at the war-planning-table of any position to help them predict the future. They do seem to report facts that come to them pretty fairly, but are in the same boat as their readers, just with more reported facts that they get to sift through for truth or propaganda.
I definitely agree that Trump is extremely likely to betray Erdogan, only AFTER (and if!) Erdogan does his designated (by U.S./NATO Empire) job of destroying Syrian sovereignty by conquering NE Syria and genociding the Kurds! (Will this set up our forces for an attack on Iran or even Russia???) But I also have zero faith that Trump will better protect our tax dollars, much less civil rights or even safety, than previous duopoly presidents, simply based on his historical record of cheating his tenants and workers left and right, both as a N.Y. realtor or a hotel builder/manager. I strongly believe he will make the rich far richer yet, (did you not notice his ‘tax-reform’ bill?) but that will be at the average and poorer citizens’ misery, not benefit.
We obviously come from different sides of our political spectrum, but it is so important that WE can communicate our reasons directly with eachother. The future of our world depends on us continuing to relate to eachother as reasonable and feeling human beings!
I don’t think the US will attack Russia or Iran, I actually think Trumps doing stuff behind the scenes in cooperation with Putin to solve the Iranian/Israeli problem. As to Trump’s previous business record and behaviour, no defence for it, but old men getting close to death do strange things, like become philanthropists and humanitarians, getting close to death sometimes changes people, maybe Trump’s changing too. His tax reform bill was a disgrace, I agree, that was a very bad decision. I spent the first 40 years as a left leaner, 10 as a right, and the last 5 as none of the above, now I realize I’m both and neither, depending on what the subject is. Cheers.
If I recall correctly, a few companies of NDF troops were allowed to stand side by side with the YPG in the defense of Afrin. This token deployment with few heavy weapons did nothing to slow the FSA encirclement, and Afrin fell after a short battle. Hopefully SAA numbers will increase before Turkey makes it’s move.
It is so obvious why US left … Turkey determined from the North and SAA from the south both easily defeat even with US ready to die for it which they do not.
When air power alone is known not to work .. they have to withdraw and it is undefendable against two large forces. So get out while still in one piece as both Turkey and SAA are determined to take the areas one way or other if SDF remains .
The war has always been the proxies of the Axis of Evil of Wahhabistan, Ziostan and Ottoman Empire bankrolled by FUKUS against Syria’s legitimate government. Now it may be time for open warfare between the actual belligerents. No more using the rabble of ISIS and Qaida to promote the agenda of FUKUS and Axis of Evil.
Syrian government should not play two face game in Manbij. Either kick SDF terrorists out and take Manbij, or stay out of there. If there is single SDF soldier left even with 200.000 Syrian soldiers, be assured, all will die. If Syrian army join kurdish terrorist factions in battle, they will suffer the same fate.
Better to not provoke the Russians in Syrian soil, as I said a few days ago, it’s up to the Turks to choose the size of their turkish bloody nose.
Syrian army did the same with Afrin. They send hundreds of soldiers to fight with Kurdish terrorists and they had hundreds of soldiers back in boxes. Syrian army should either kick SDF out, or stay out of Manbij. Even if they sent all Syrian armed forces to Manbij, it does not benefit them. Turkish army has enough missiles and men. In Afrin battle they deployed just less, than 2% of their armed forces.
From where you caught the 2%? Link, please.
The source is in his mind. He just don’t know what he’s talking about lol…
its an eastimate giving the seize.
I diagree a lot.
Marching in can prevant a Turkish attack. Turks has their internal probæems as well and dont need coffins for kurds there.
war strategy. allow Turks to pressure and create fear in SDF who will eventually allow Syrian and Russian forces in. Once in, they start spreading to other areas. 2019 will be interesting