This March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces patrol on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria. (Arab 24 network, via AP)
On March 29, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) closed all the crossing points between the FSA-held area in northern Aleppo and the area of Manbij, which is held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi reported.
The media office of the FSA-held city of Jarabulus, west of Manbij, reported that the crossings will be closed for three days at least for what was called “security reasons.”
A day earlier, the Turkish National Security Council warned that Turkey will take “initiative”, if the SDF does not withdraw from the city of Manbij. This allowed many Syrian opposition activists to suggest that the decision to close the crossings could be a sign of an upcoming Turkish military operation in the area.
However, local observers believe that the Turkish-backed FSA closed the crossings due to a series of bombings that had targeted its areas over the last two months. FSA officials believe that the SDF were behind of these bombings as all the booby-trapped cars and motorcycles crossed into their areas from the SDF-held city of Manbij.
