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Intel: Manbij attack may strengthen Turkey’s hand against Syrian Kurds

The suicide attack that killed several US service members and civilians in Manbij yesterday may strengthen Turkey’s hand against Syrian Kurdish groups that it sees as a threat.
An image grab taken from a video published by Hawar News Agency (ANHA) on January 16, 2019, shows the aftermath of a suicide attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. - A suicide attack targeting US-led coalition forces in the flashpoint northern Syrian city of Manbij killed a US serviceman and 14 other people today, a monitor said. (Photo by - / various sources / AFP)        (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

The suicide attack that killed several US service members and civilians in Manbij today may strengthen Turkey’s hand against Syrian Kurdish groups that it sees as a threat. Ankara has been arguing the US-backed Kurds are unwilling or unable to maintain stability and security in the areas they control in Syria, and is eager to replace them with its own proxies.

Why it matters: The presence of groups affiliated with the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Manbij had been a major point of contention between Washington and Ankara until Trump’s decision last month to pull out US troops. Now Ankara is widely seen as waiting for US forces to leave the area before it launches a military operation to take the city.

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