Manbij Military Assembly continues to march for freedom and liberate Manbij as part of the operation that began on June 1. The fighters continued to advance on the 5th day of the operation.

* After violent clashes in the Qaraqozax front, Manbij Military Assembly fighters liberated the villages of Refîa and Um İzam 13.5 and 11 km to the west of Euphrates from ISIS gangs around 08:55.

* 2 groups of fighters in the Tishreen front liberated the area between them last night and reunited after having liberated the Meqaliq Hesen Axa village and 52 hamlets.

* Fighters of the northern flank of the Qaraqozax front cleared 2 hamlets and prevented the gangs’ attempt to carry out a car bomb attack by blasting the car from a distance.

* Fighters seized the bodies of 6 gangs, 9 Kalashnikovs, 5 rocket propellers, and several suicide vests and grenades during their sweep and search activities between the villages of Qebir Êmo and Tuwêl.

* Fighters seized the bodies of 12 gangs and many guns and ammunition during the sweep and search efforts in Um Serrac Hill.

* Coalition warplanes bombarded 6 targets in the region, killed 12 gangs and destroyed 2 motorbikes used by the gangs.

* Manbij Military Assembly fighters liberated the town of Abû Qelqel 13 km to the east of Manbij and took the Manbij-Raqqa road under complete control.

* Abû Qelqel town is strategically important because ISIS gangs carried out attacks on Tishreen dam from here and used the town as a logistics center.

* Manbij Military Assembly fighters seized several heavy weaponry, which were hidden by ISIS gangs, during their sweep and search activities in Abû Qelqel.

* Fighters liberated 4 villages from ISIS gangs in the Tishreen and Qaraqozax fronts.

* Manbij Military Assembly issued a written statement on the martyrdom of Shams Al-Shamal commander and assembly member Faysal Abû Layla, and said that Operation Liberate Manbij would be renamed as ‘Commander Martyr Faysal Abû Layla’ from now on.

* Manbij Military Assembly inflicted heavy blows after the martyrdom of Commander Faysal Abû Layla and liberated the villages of Xirbit Til Hisan, Mele Sead and Safiya in the Qereqozax front at 19:00.

* Fighters liberated the village of Qer’a from ISIS occupation at around 19:00.

* With the liberation of these villages, the distance from the Qaraqozax front to Manbij center was down to 8 km and the distance from the Tishreen front was reduced to 4-6 km.

CIVILIANS LIBERATED FROM ISIS GANGS MOVED TO SECURE ZONES

Manbij Military Assembly fighters move civilians to secure zones as they advance on Manbij. Tens of villages and hamlets have been liberated so far, and civilians have been moved to secure areas. Civilians only return to their villages after the fighters clear the liberated villages from mines and gang threats, and the villager that return express gratitude and happiness to the fighters.

DEMOCRATIC AUTONOMY ADMINISTRATION VISITS THE LIBERATED VILLAGES

The Democratic Autonomy administration visited the village of Qebir Êmo liberated by Manbij Military Assembly fighters. The Kobanê Canton Democratic Autonomy committee met with the residents of the village located 4 km to the west of Qereqozaq bridge, and the villagers cheerfully greeted committee members who included Foreign Relations member Îbrahîm Kurdo, Co-Mayor Zehra Berkel, Executive Assembly member Şahîn Al Alî and Mihemed Nûr.

MANBIJ MILITARY ASSEMBLY MEMBER ABÛ LAYLA IMMORTALIZED

Commander Faysal Abû Layla had been hit by a shell fragment in the village of Xefiet Abû Qelqel on June 3. Abû Layla got critically injured when he was hit in the head, and the doctors could not save him despite all efforts.

THE OPERATION WILL CONTINUE WITH THE NAME ‘COMMANDER MARTYR FAYSAL ABÛ LAYLA‘

Manbij Military Assembly issued a written statement on the martyrdom of Shams Al-Shamal commander and assembly member Faysal Abû Layla, and said that Operation Liberate Manbij would be renamed as ‘Commander Martyr Faysal Abû Layla’ from now on.

In the statement, the assembly said that its commanders were writing epics of heroism with their blood, and their martyrdom paved the way of the assembly’s advance. The assembly emphasized that the martyrs would always be remembered in the history and continue to light the way of the resistance struggle as it liberates the land from the gangs.

COMMANDER ABÛ LEYLA WAS A SYMBOL OF KOBANÊ RESISTANCE

Manbij Military Assembly noted that Faysal Abû Layla had taken up arms and commanded the revolutionary units in Aleppo when the uprising against the Ba’ath regime began. Lastly, the assembly stated that Abû Layla fought heroically in Manbij, Jarablus, Bab, Tishreen and Kobanê, and became a symbol of the Kobanê resistance.