Turkish army and AKP administration’s statements on “movements in Manbij” have been exposed as lies by the Manbij Military Council.

In a clear attempt to use Manbij as an electoral campaign issue, the AKP had said that Turkish soldiers had actually begun moving towards Manbij and indeed had entered the city.

The images published by ANHA and released by the Manbij Military Council, though, proved that the allegations are pure lies.

The Turkish soldiers have not crossed the Sacur River, which marks the border between Cerablus and Manbij.  The images show Turkish soldiers patrolling the areas north of the river.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been hoping to play yet another “military operation card” before the elections to be held in Turkey on June 24.

Manbij had been on the Turkish President’s agenda for a while and on Monday the news were leaked that indeed Turkish troops had been moving towards the city.

The Sacur River was defined as the border between Cerablus, which was occupied by the Turkish army on 24 August 2016, and the city of Manbij which remains under the control of the Manbij Military Council, after its liberation from DAESH mercenaries. 

The northern part of the Sacur River is under the occupation of the Turkish army and its mercenary allies, while the south is under the control of the Manbij Military Council and US coalition forces.

The Turkish army claimed on Monday that Turkish soldiers have begun “joint patrolling” Manbij with the United States. 

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has repeated similar claims in Istanbul during an AKP elections rally.