MANBIJ, Syria — The Manbij Military Council has again called for the return home of Manbij residents fighting with Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions in the areas of seized in Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, requesting that they stop furthering Turkey's occupation of Syrian territory.

In a Feb. 3 statement posted online, the council’s General Command, asserted, “It is necessary to assume our moral responsibility by warning our citizens against the manipulation and exploitation practiced by the Turkish occupation state in the areas of Euphrates Shield and other Syrian-occupied areas by perpetuating a mercenary culture and forcing the country’s citizens into terrorist military organizations that only serve Ottoman expansionist, nationalistic interests.”

In a phone call with Al-Monitor, council spokesman Shervan Derwish said, “Our call to the people of Manbij in Syrian opposition military groups is the second one. In 2017, we launched the same initiative. We want the people of our areas to return to their homeland and to not be tools in the hands of the Turkish state occupying Syria. We do not want our people to serve Turkey’s interests in occupying more Syrian lands. We call on the people of Manbij to return to their hometown to serve their country.”

Derwish asserted that the council would coordinate resettlement for those wishing to return. “The defectors are free to choose between integrating into civilian life or fighting in the ranks of the Manbij Military Council,” he said.