US forces are in the outskirts of the Syrian town of Manbij
U.S. forces have withdrawn from a military warehouse near the town of Malikiye in the northeastern al-Hasakah countryside, the Turkish Anadolu Agency reported on December 29 citing local sources.
“Hummer armored vehicles and trucks from the 400-square-meter warehouse – around which some 50 U.S. troops were based – were sent to Iraq … U.S. troops based around the warehouse also left for Iraq,” the Anadolu Agency’s report reads.
According to the state-run news agency, U.S. forces were using the warehouse as a hub for the distribution of supplies to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) in northeastern Syria. Both groups are designated as “terrorist organizations” by Ankara.
“The next phase of U.S. support to the Coalition’s operation in Syria is a deliberate, well thought-out, mutually supportive, and controlled withdrawal of forces while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops’ safety and protection,” the U.S. Department of Defense said earlier on Twitter.
On December 19, the White House announced that the U.S. has started withdrawing its troops from Syria. Back then, media reports said that the time-frame for the troop pullout will be between 60 to 100 days.
The US-led coalition has not commented on the Anadolu Agency’s report so far. If confirmed, this step will be an indication of Washington’s willingness to really withdraw its troops of northeastern Syria.
