BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:00 P.M.) – The situation around Manbij has still not been cleared up, despite an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
While the spokesperson for the Syrian Arab Army announced that Manbij would be under the control of the government, a source in the area told Al-Masdar that the military has yet to move into the city itself.
The source said that the Syrian Arab Army has deployed to the outskirts of Manbij, but they will remain outside the city until further notice.
Meanwhile, just north of Manbij, the Turkish-backed rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Jaysh Al-Islam have amassed a large force and declared the start of their operation.
The two rebel groups have not launched any attack on Manbij and it is very unlikely that they will strike the city, given that the Syrian Arab Army and U.S. Coalition is present.