Russia moves deep into areas controlled by US allies in Syria

Images shared by the Russian Defense Ministry on January 8 showed Russian military police vehicles moving along roads near Manbij, a city in Syria's northeastern Aleppo province. Control of the city has changed hands several times since 2011 as rebels and Islamist militants forced the Syrian government to retreat. The mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have most recently held the area.

A Syrian flag flies in a village south of the Kurdish-held city of Manbij on December 30, 2018. Photo: AFP

"Today we started patrolling the security zone near the city of Manbij and surrounding areas. This work is to ensure safety in the area for which we are responsible, as well as to control the positions and movements of armed groups," Tass news agency quoted Russian military police spokesman Yusup Mamatov on January 8. Although holding a number of strategic positions in Syria, the SDF has ceded control of these locations to the Syrian government after the US plans to withdraw about 2,000 troops in Syria.

Rebels seized Manbij in 2012 when the US, along with regional allies Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, funded the force to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over allegations of human rights abuses. However, just two years later, IS took control of the city and seized more than half of Syria and neighboring Iraq.

Also in 2014, the US formed an international coalition and joined forces with the SDF to fight IS, then Russia also entered the war on behalf of President Assad. Both sides have their own campaigns. While the US-backed SDF attacked IS in northern and eastern Syria, the attacks by pro-government forces targeted both rebel and insurgent groups across Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces took control of Manbij in 2016 but were threatened by a new enemy – Türkiye. Ankara opposes Washington's support for the SDF, which it says is linked to the Kurdish separatist People's Protection Units (YPG) in Türkiye.

In December 2018, President Trump announced the withdrawal of troops from Syria, claiming that IS had been defeated and that the US military no longer had a reason to be present in the Middle Eastern country. However, some officials in the Trump administration want to expand the US strategy in Syria, not only to complete the mission of defeating IS but also to contain Iran's influence and force Mr. Assad to step down. Russia welcomed the US withdrawal, while the Syrian government said the Pentagon's presence there was illegal from the beginning.

As countries in the region begin to rekindle ties with President Assad, the SDF is also seeking talks with the Syrian government. Late last month, the Syrian flag was raised in parts of Manbij, where Russia has now sent troops to patrol to prevent a possible conflict between Türkiye and Kurdish fighters.

"From January 7, 2019, Russian military police units will begin patrolling along a 5km security zone near the city of Manbij on the 27km al-Arimah - Yulanli - Saydiyah - Dali Fa'r - Bawz Kij route," the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation and Refugee Affairs confirmed on January 8.

Türkiye has also increased troops, equipment and support for Syrian rebel groups in the area near Manbij as the US has yet to set a specific deadline for its withdrawal and Washington is likely to continue supporting the Kurds.

While senior White House officials such as National Security Advisor John Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have insisted that the US will withdraw its troops from Syria provided the security of regional allies such as Israel and the Kurds is guaranteed, Turkish President Erdogan has refused any concessions. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said at a press conference on January 8 that Turkey expects the US to hand over control of its bases in northern Syria to the rebels and stop supporting Kurdish fighters./.