The founding day of the Military Council has been celebrated in the Northern Syrian city of Manbij. Six years have passed since the task force was established on 2 April 2016 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by the People's and Women's Defense Units (YPG/YPJ).

The military council was formed at the Tishrin Dam. The offensive on Manbij was to begin there almost two months later in order to liberate the city from the rule of the Islamic State.

The founding anniversary celebration was held at the Şehîd Koçer Military Academy, where forty graduates from a military council training program attended the graduation ceremony. Among the guests were numerous members of the military association, representatives of the Democratic Civil Administration of Manbij and representatives of political and civil society organizations.

About 70 percent of the population of Manbij is Arab. Minorities include the Kurdish, Circassian, Armenian and Chechen communities.

The celebration was opened with a parade by members of the military council and the security forces of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria. The anniversary speech was delivered by Military Council commander Muhammad Mustafa, better known by his alias Abu Adel.

Commander Mustafa recognized the commitment of the members of the military council over the past years and assured that the association will continue to ensure the security of the civilian population.

Muhammad Ali Al-Abo, co-chair of the Legislative Council of the Democratic Civil Administration, also addressed those present. The politician congratulated the Manbij Military Council on the anniversary and described it as a "source" from which the population draws its will and strength to resist the occupation and to start a new life.

The parade

After the emotional speech, the graduates of the training program were congratulated and presented with their military badges. At the end of the day there were dances and revolutionary songs.