Turkey, US to oversee Syrian-Kurdish YPG withdrawal from Manbij – Ankara

Turkey and the United States will oversee the withdrawal of Syrian-Kurdish YPG militants from northern Syria’s Manbij town, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday, according to local media. Speaking to reporters on his flight to Moscow, Cavusoglu said Ankara and Washington will decide on a plan for securing Manbij during talks on March 19, but said Turkish forces would carry out a military operation if those failed. Cavusoglu also said Turkey had not make any demands from the Syrian government regarding Manbij, and added that Ankara would monitor the return of weapons given to the YPG by the US, Reuters reports. This issue has caused strained ties between the NATO allies.