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US backed Syrian Democratic Forces rout ISIS from Manbij, Syria

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P

Phantast2k

Member
It seems like the English language media has not caught up yet, but the liberation of Manbij has been confirmed by the Kurds, which make up the biggest share of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Here's the latest news:
U.S.-backed forces in final sweep against Islamic State in Syria's Manbij | Reuters

U.S.-backed forces battling Islamic State near the Turkish border in northern Syria said on Friday they had launched a final assault to flush the remaining jihadists out of the city of Manbij.

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), with air support from a U.S.-led coalition, said last week they had taken almost complete control of Manbij, where a small number of IS fighters had been holed up.

The SDF's offensive, which began at the end of May, aims to remove Islamic State from areas it controls along the Turkish border, which was for years a route through which the group moved fighters and weapons.

The SDF said it was now conducting a final sweep of the city before they officially announce the operation is complete.

Friday's attack is "the last operation and the last assault," said Sharfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Syrian Arab and Kurdish forces.

Darwish said roughly 100 Islamic State fighters were left in the center of the city, and that they were using civilians as human shields. Several civilians were killed trying to flee, he said.

Reuters pictures showed residents being released from an Islamic State-held neighborhood on Friday and being welcomed by SDF forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year conflict, later said around 500 cars had left Manbij carrying Islamic State members and civilians. They were heading northeast toward Jarablus, a town under Islamic State control on the Turkish border, the Observatory said.
Click to expand...

Bolded is a problem, but it's still a big victory against ISIS.
(edit: Ok, it's a damn big problem: Isis 'abducts 2,000 civilians to use as human shields' while fleeing Manbij | World news | The Guardian)

Apparently a video of the last push & civilians coming towards SDF:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCbzC0eh3Rs

Pics:

asPFxbC.jpg

A civilian carries a child as he walks with others after they were evacuated by the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from an Islamic State-controlled neighbourhood of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said

5LIzjMh.jpg

A woman smokes as she rests after she was evacuated with others by the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from an Islamic State-controlled neighbourhood of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said

Xr5J5wx.jpg

Women carry newborn babies while reacting after they were evacuated by the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from an Islamic State-controlled neighbourhood of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said

4t16ozw.jpg

A Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter comforts a civilian who was evacuated with others by the SDF from an Islamic State-controlled neighbourhood of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said

FLO5fpV.jpg

A woman embraces a Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter after she was evacuated with others by the SDF from an Islamic State-controlled neighbourhood of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said
 
J

Jeels

Member
Man, those pictures are making my eyes water. ;_; So touching to see those people so relieved. <3 Hopefully they can hold. Fuck Daesh.

Edit: Also pretty badass to see female fighters in the SDF
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
I am curious how things are going to go for the Kurds several years down the line. They seem to be doing a ton of fighting all over the region and seem to be one of the more level headed groups there as well as one of the more militarily competent. Still I don't think the idea of a Kurdistan is going to go over well with the neighboring Middle Eastern countries for obvious reasons.
 
iceatcs

iceatcs

Junior Member
That's good news. Hopefully, there are no more supply routes from the outside world for Daesh, but I dunno How Turkish will feel if all Kurds control all the border.


I feel there will be part 2 but no Daesh this time.
 
M

maximum360

Member
Crisco said:
Bomb the fuck out of the convoy, like we did to those shitheads when they fled Fallujah. No Mercy.
Click to expand...



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year conflict, later said around 500 cars had left Manbij carrying Islamic State members and civilians. They were heading northeast toward Jarablus, a town under Islamic State control on the Turkish border, the Observatory said.
Click to expand...
.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
The ISIS fought to their last man in Manbij. The border with Turkey is now effectively sealed, which was the main reason they put up incredibly fierce resistance including dozens of well coordinated counter offensives against the siege.

This is SDF's first victory and its huge.
 
L

Linkyn

Member
Does anyone have comparative maps showing ISIS' loss of territory in Syria and Iraq? Alternatively, a time-lapse would be even better.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
Crisco said:
Bomb the fuck out of the convoy, like we did to those shitheads when they fled Fallujah. No Mercy.
Click to expand...

No way they're attacking that convoy. Not after the shitshow that happened recently. It's unfortunate but we're gonna have to let them go, to save the lives of thousands of civilians.

I'm so happy to see this happen. I still feel real shitty about Syria, but this gives me hope.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
Volimar said:
Will they be saved though?
Click to expand...
It depends where they're taken. If it's into the middle of some desert compound, no. It's simply not worth the lives involved. If they're being taken to another major city, there's hope the SDA could free them the second time around.

The US can't be the ones killing them though, that's a war crime, and headache the US would rather not deal with.
 
S

Sami+

Member
S

Spoiled Milk

Banned
Do you all remember that thread about the air strike in manbij which killed 80+ civilians? And posters were calling the US terrorists? A small retrospective:

GhostBed said:
Fuck drone strikes.

Rip to the victims.
Click to expand...

Oberon said:
I doubt there will be any consequences to whoever made this error.
Awful
RIP to all the victimes.
Click to expand...

Sunster said:
End drone strikes. "Lack of intel" K. I feel better now...
Click to expand...

Clockwork5 said:
Yup let's keep fighting in the Middle East because that will end anti-western sentiment in the region.

RIP.
Click to expand...

Abounder said:
Obama and Co. are godawful, really makes that peace prize even more of a joke. And just creates more terrorists.
Click to expand...

Crisco said:
Shit, this was bound to happen eventually and is basically the argument against further escalation in Syria and Iraq. Probably will result in tightening strike authorizations or an even more significant pullback. Honestly the focus should have stayed in the Iraq, the mission in Syria was always way more dicey from a legal perspective.
Click to expand...

Regginator said:
The US committing unpunished war crimes, what's new? And then we're surprised when terrorists use this as an excuse to bomb us on our soil. Hatred feeds hatred, this has always been the case and this will always be the case.
Click to expand...

RK9039 said:
US don't give a toss, like the last time they bombed a hospital despite knowing it was a hospital. Bomb first, research later. Apologize like Tony Blair.
Click to expand...

girlfriendofagamer said:
A lot of people in this thread really don't show a basic regard or a shred of decency for human life.

Very scary that people are walking around feeling like this.
Click to expand...

la_briola said:
The terrorism of the US continues to impress me...
...and people wonder why events like Paris, Nice, Brussels and Wuerzburg happens.
Click to expand...

Well, we won. And it was worth it. The casualties were sad but that's what happens when you put your hq in a hospital.
 
B

Baybars

Banned
Nothing democratic about the SDF. It's just a rehashed PKK force from turkey. Ocalan's men in another garb. What happened in tal abyad will happen there.

All the pictures you see are just PR pics. Pretty soon you will see civilians forced from their homes because apparently it's a military zone and civilians will be forced to country side. Like ayn issa, sarrin, tal abyad etc.
 
D

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Baybars said:
Nothing democratic about the SDF. It's just a rehashed PKK force from turkey. Ocalan's men in another garb. What happened in tal abyad will happen there.

All the pictures you see are just PR pics. Pretty soon you will see civilians forced from their homes because apparently it's a military zone and civilians will be forced to country side. Like ayn issa, sarrin, tal abyad etc.
Click to expand...

Weren't you the guy defending Erdogan and his democracy in that other thread?
 
V

VendettaRed07

Member
Kristoffer said:
Do you all remember that thread about the air strike in manbij which killed 80+ civilians? And posters were calling the US terrorists? A small retrospective:





















Well, we won. And it was worth it. The casualties were sad but that's what happens when you put your hq in a hospital.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
B

Baybars

Banned
DiipuSurotu said:
Weren't you the guy defending Erdogan and his democracy in that other thread?
Click to expand...

Erdogan was elected. News flash.

Does not change the fact that pkk is an alien group that does not speak arabic and driven off syrian kurds and closed down parties like the syrian kurdish council. They have immense hatred for arabs and turks and only interested in building a state in the north on the bones of their enemies
 
T

TheRealTalker

Banned
congrats


Now the real battle begins of restoring rights, feeding, counseling and mentally helping the people. Also returning the people who fled to their homes without looting or killing them.
 
G

G.ZZZ

Member
Baybars said:
Erdogan was elected. News flash.

Does not change the fact that pkk is an alien group that does not speak arabic and driven off syrian kurds and closed down parties like the syrian kurdish council. They have immense hatred for arabs and turks and only interested in building a state in the north on the bones of their enemies
Click to expand...

Seriously?
 
R

RK9039

Member
R

Rubenov

Member
RustyNails said:
The ISIS fought to their last man in Manbij. The border with Turkey is now effectively sealed, which was the main reason they put up incredibly fierce resistance including dozens of well coordinated counter offensives against the siege.

This is SDF's first victory and its huge.
Click to expand...

Nah, 500 cars escaped. Surely several hundred fighters escaped to recuperate, reform, and fight another day.

It's hard to do anything with those human shields though. Bastards.
 
B

Boney

Banned
My mind cannot comprehend the suffering but I'm so glad to see the rescue and it being performed by their people
 
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