‘That’s Funny’: State Dept, Turkey Have Not Reached Agreement Over Syrian Manbij

The United States and Turkey have not reached any deal over the city of Manbij in northern Syria, US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters on Tuesday.

Nauert was asked to comment on the statement by the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said that the United States and Turkey have reached an agreement on Manbij. “That’s funny, because no agreement has been reached,” Nauert said.

Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said earlier that Turkey plans to create jointly with the States United a safe zone around Manbij after Kurdish forces leave the area.

Kalin noted that the reshuffle in the US State Department leadership may lead to a delay in the implementation of the arrangement between Turkey and the United States on Manbij for one or two weeks.

This Tuesday, March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces take up positions on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria

Turkey has repeatedly blamed Washington for failing to fulfill its promises regarding the withdrawal of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from Manbij after Kurdish forces liberated the city from the Islamic State terror group* in the summer of 2016.
Earlier in March, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu said that Kurdish forces would leave Manbij “under any circumstances” under the control of Turkey and the United States.

Relations between the two countries are in crisis because of Washington’s support for the YPG. Turkey considers the YPG to be an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as terrorist organization.