Team of Turkish soldiers deployed to Syria's Manbij

ANKARA

Turkey has deployed a team of experts comprising Turkish soldiers to the northern Syrian town of Manbij for preliminary field investigations along with American soldiers, Turkish foreign minister said on Friday.

Speaking at the parliament in Ankara about the latest developments along Turkey’s Syrian border, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkish soldiers have been deployed to Manbij, located on the western bank of the Euphrates River, to force the withdrawal of PYD elements from the area.

“We have sent our team to Manbij along with U.S. soldiers,” he said.

“Our efforts will continue until we are confident the YPG has moved to the east of Euphrates' [River],” he added.

Ankara has asked Washington to not support the PYD and YPG terrorist groups, because of their separatist motivations and affiliation with the PKK terror group. But American special operation forces are reportedly still training the terrorist group while U.S. aircraft also give them air support.

As YPG elements crossed the Euphrates River and helped Arab fighters drive Daesh out from the town located on the west bank of the river, the Pentagon has insisted YPG fighters would withdraw from Manbij after Daesh is defeated there.

Manbij was retaken in early summer but YPG terrorists remain in the city.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition group, Free Syrian Army, would move into Manbij to remove YPG from the town after the group captured al-Bab, a northwestern town still under Daesh control.

The PKK and its Syrian offshoot the PYD are both listed as terrorist groups by Turkey although the U.S. and the EU only view the PKK as a terrorist organization.

*Reporting by Ali Hakan Der; Writing by Hatice Kesgin