Turkey now invades Manbij, a Kurdish-controlled town inside of Syria; The endgame is to restore the town to Arabs according to Erdogan; The US is reported to be moving 1000 troops from the area; Turkey: We are about to implement our decision on Manbij; Khalid: Russia is becoming an important player in the region.
On Monday, Turkish President Erdogan spoke to reporters regarding his intentions to invade the town of Manbij, currently held by Kurdish forces inside of Syria. Turkish troops are now inside the town. Additionally, the US has announced its withdrawals of approximately 1000 troops, which further pleased Turkey.
President Erdogan claims that this move is in support of the Arab people who he claims are the rightful owners of the land.
The European Union has called on ‘member states’ to refrain from selling arms and military components to Turkey due to their aggression toward the Kurdish people, a call which Turkey has rejected, claiming that they are not only restoring the land to the ‘rightful owners’ but also acting in self-defense to prevent terror.
Prince Khalid of Saudi Arabia, in speaking about his concern regarding US withdrawal from the region, praised Russia, stating, “Russia is becoming an important player in the region — whether one likes it or not, it is a fact.” Regarding the Russians, he also added that they, “do to a certain extent understand the East better than the West does.”
