U.S.-backed fighters on Thursday closed all major roads leading to the northern Syrian town of Manbij, a stronghold of the Islamic State group, and surrounded it from three sides, officials and Syrian opposition activists said.
(FOX)- The town is one of the largest areas held by ISIS in the northern Aleppo province. Many of its residents fled in advance of the upcoming battle.
Manbij is a waypoint on an ISIS supply line between the Turkish border and the extremist group’s de facto capital, Raqqa. If the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces capture Manbij, it will be the extremists’ biggest defeat in Syria since government forces captured the central historic town of Palmyra in March.
The U.S. Central Command said the operation to free Manbij is part of the “moderate Syrian opposition” efforts to clear areas along the border with Turkey from ISIS. Members of the American and French military have been advising forces fighting ISIS in northern Syria.
A statement by the Military Council of the City of Manbij, which is part of the SDF, said that all roads from the east, north and south have been cut. The group said they are now close enough to target IS inside the town, but they are holding off storming Manbij to avoid civilian casualties.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said SDF fighters are about 800 yards from the last main road linking Manbij with the city of Aleppo, saying that the road is now closed by fire fights.