The Turkish army and its jihadist auxiliary troops attack civilian settlement areas in the northern Syrian city of Manbij. The attacks target the villages along the Sajur river and defense positions of the Manbij Military Council (MMC), according to the MMC Press Office. A total of eight mortar shells have hit the region since early Monday morning. The artillery is fired from the military base of the occupying forces in the Arab village of Karatha, located in the northeast of Manbij. The village is located directly opposite the village of Awn al-Dadat, which de facto forms the border between the occupied and autonomous regions of northern Syria.

According to Manbij Military Council, the bombing has not yet resulted in human casualties. However, material damage has occurred to the homes and gardens of the civilian population. Just over a week ago, a civilian was injured in an attack with heavy weapons on Awn al-Datat. The woman was hit by shrapnel on her hands and legs.

Manbij is under constant artillery fire from the Turkish army and allied militias. The local military council, which is a component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is responsible for defending the region. Three weeks ago, the MMC succeeded in destroying a sleeper cell supported by the Turkish secret service MIT.

Almost three years of ISIS terror in Manbij

For more than two and a half years the terrorist militia ISIS ruled over the population in Manbij. On June 1, 2016, the SDF, together with the MMC, launched an offensive to liberate the city at Tishrin Dam. The fight for Manbij, which had been under ISIS terror since 2014, lasted 75 days in total. It was a complete success, in which YPJ fighters played a major role. On August 15, 2016, the Military Council announced the victory over the ISIS. Since then, the city has been administered by a civil council in which all population groups and especially women are represented.