On Northern Syria Front Line, U.S. and Turkey Head Into Tense Face-off
dominates Kurdish areas of northern Syria and is the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces,
the American allies in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and Daesh.
"Why are you still here?" The Americans say the fight against ISIS is far from over in Syria, even though the group has been expelled from all urban areas, like Manbij, which the Americans
and their Syrian allies cleared in the summer of 2016.
It is waging a military campaign to take the Kurdish-held city of Afrin, 80 miles west, while pursuing an unusually outspoken public relations campaign to threaten Manbij and make the Americans depart, so
that Syrian militias aligned with Turkish forces can take it from America’s Kurdish-led allies.
"Our fight against ISIS has had to be minimized as we reduce our power there to defend Afrin." The military council, supported by American Special Operations troops
and air power, defeated ISIS in Manbij in August 2016, and then established a local government administration that has controlled the area since.
Standing on the front-line rooftop, General Funk addressed the military council’s commander, Muhammed Abu Adel: "The lasting defeat of ISIS
is the most important mission for this group," he told Commander Adel, a Kurd, although the majority of his fighters are local Arabs.
MANBIJ, Syria — Two senior American generals came to the front line outside the Syrian city of Manbij on Wednesday flying outsized American
flags on their vehicles, in case pro-Turkish forces just the other side of the no man’s land, 20 yards away, did not realize who they were.
We will defend ourselves." The trip was the first by such senior United States military officers to the front in northern Syria since Turkey’s
president threatened to attack the city of Manbij, calling it a bastion of terrorists and demanding that American forces leave.