The Manbij Military Council (MMC) repelled attacks by pro-Turkish mercenaries on two villages in the region.

According to the MMC statement on Friday, jihadists under Turkish command attempted to infiltrate the villages of Cat (al-Gat) and Awn Dadat, located north-east of the city centre, in the morning.

“There were simultaneous breakthrough attempts by a group of mercenaries. However, the attackers quickly withdrew as a result of clashes,” said the statement, according to which an unknown number of mercenaries were killed in the fighting.

Manbij is located 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border and occupies a key strategic position in Turkey's plans to expand its illegal occupation zone in northern Syria. The city, which is administered by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), is located on the important M4 highway, which runs through northern Syria like a lifeline and was a strategic supply route for ISIS. In addition to the Manbij Military Council, the Enîya Kurdan (Kurdish Front) and the Idlib Revolutionary Brigade are also responsible for the defence of the region.

Since Manbij was named by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the primary target for a new invasion of northern and eastern Syria in 2022, the war of attrition against the city has intensified. There are regular attacks by the Turkish army and allied jihadist militias as well as infiltration attempts, which are mainly directed against civilian settlement areas with the aim of displacing the population. The positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also repeatedly under attack. The international community ignores Turkey's crimes in its neighbouring country.