Manbij

The nodus emerged at Manbij. On Aug. 12, the Kurds took the city, which is 35 kilometers from the Turkish border and just opposite Gaziantep's Karkamış, from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). They began to march toward al-Bab, which is 50 kilometers to the west, in order to unite the Afrin and Kobane cantons. Exactly 12 days later, on Aug.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has stressed that Ankara expects the fulfillment of the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) from Manbij, as recently reiterated by the United States.

The Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) will withdraw from northern Syrian town of Manbij towards the east of the Euphrates River, as Turkey has long demanded, the United States and the YPG both vowed on Nov. 16. 

Turkey has once again asked the United States to stop giving arms to support the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Nov. 7. 

The Turkish military operation in support of Syrian opposition fighters in northern Syria will concentrate on the city of Raqqa controlled by Islamic state, announced Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

The U.S.-led coalition could not have achieved what it has achieved in Syria as of today without Turkey's support, CENTCOM commander Joseph Votel was quoted as saying on Oct. 19 by state-run Anadolu Agency.

Turkey is making preparations to enter the field as part of the Mosul operation while also pursuing diplomatic talks with coalition partners, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Oct. 18.

"If we say we want to be both at the table and in the field, there is a reason," he said. 

Turkey is making preparations to enter the field as part of the Mosul operation while also pursuing diplomatic talks with coalition partners, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Oct. 18.

"If we say we want to be both at the table and in the field, there is a reason," he said. 

The U.S.-backed militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been advancing toward the town of Manbij for the last couple of days in order to retake it from the occupation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or DAESH using Arabic initials. Meanwhile, the Russia-backed Syrian army has entered Raqqa province (not the town itself), which is ISIL's Syrian HQ and also the target

U.S. President Barack Obama has said failing to prepare for the aftermath of the ousting of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was the worst mistake of his presidency.

Since then, this mistake seems to have marked Obama's policies in the Middle East.