Kurdish Sources: Manbij Liberated from Islamic State Control

Kurdish sources report the complete liberation of the city of Manbij in northern Syria from the control of Islamic State militants, known as ISIS, on Friday, August 12. Shirzad Yazidi, representative of Syrian Kurdistan in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, told Radio Farda that "the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council officially announced the liberation of this city after 5 PM. According to the latest information, ISIS forces fled with 500 vehicles and took some people as human shields." On Friday morning, the Syrian Democratic Coalition announced the final operation to drive out the Islamic State militants from Manbij. A citizen named Fatemeh stated that no matter how much she talks about the "savagery" of ISIS, it is still an understatement. ISIS separated her from her sons. The Syrian Democratic Coalition is composed of Kurdish and Arab fighters and is supported by the international coalition led by the United States. Sharafan Darwish, spokesperson for this coalition, told Reuters that about 100 ISIS militants remain in the city center and are using civilians as human shields. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the exit of ISIS militants from Manbij on Friday was the result of an unannounced agreement. Last week, the Syrian Democratic Coalition forces had succeeded in a large-scale operation, with air support from the international coalition, to drive out ISIS militants from about 90% of Manbij. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London and monitoring the situation in Syria through a network of sources, reported that a convoy consisting of 500 vehicles carrying ISIS militants and about 2,000 civilians left Manbij heading north towards the town of Jarablus; civilians who, according to this report, were kidnapped to be used as human shields. Hawzan Afrini, an official from the Hawar Human Rights Organization operating in Kurdish areas of Syria, told Radio Farda that most of these civilians were freed: "Today, 2,500 people were liberated from ISIS, but some, who are said to be mostly Christians, were taken by the militants." He added that "the exact number of these individuals is not clear. However, at 3 PM, the Manbij Military Council forces managed to free 2,500 innocent people from ISIS in the al-Sarab neighborhood. ISIS forces fled to Jarablus and took some individuals with them by force." The city of Manbij, located in northern Aleppo province near the Turkish border, had been a strategic city for ISIS for two years. This city was the main supply route for ISIS to its forces in Raqqa; the liberation of Manbij could pave the way for the liberation of Raqqa, the main center of ISIS militants in Syria.