Could Turkey’s misstep in Manbij provide template for Raqqa?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest threat complicates Pentagon planning to oust the Islamic State from its so-called capital; United States provides intelligence for Iraqi strike in Syria.
Turkish move blocked by Syrian forces
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not winning friends with US military planners by threatening to attack Manbij, a predominantly Arab town controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Pentagon’s partner of choice among armed groups battling the Islamic State.
The SDF is primarily made up of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey claims is linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and therefore a terrorist group on a par with the Islamic State (IS). The SDF, led by the YPG, drove IS forces from Manbij last year.
Erdogan’s threat if the YPG does not leave Manbij is hardly a surprise, as Operation Euphrates Shield, launched in August 2016, always had the dual purpose of defeating both the YPG and IS.
