CEYLANPINAR, Turkey (AP) – A U.S. military spokesman says American troops have left the town of Manbij as part of their withdrawal from northeast Syria.
Col. Myles B. Caggins tweeted: “We are out of Manbij.”
He added that the U.S.-led “coalition forces are executing a deliberate withdrawal from northeast Syria.”
His tweet came hours after Syrian state media reported that government forces have moved into the center of Manbij where they raised the national flag.
The flashpoint area housed U.S. outposts from where they patrolled the region since 2017 to deter a confrontation between Turkey and Kurdish fighters.
Syria’s Kurds have struck a deal with Syrian government forces to fend off the Turkish invasion, as their former ally, the U.S. has ordered a withdrawal from the northern border zone.
