United Nations: Battle in Manbij Displaces 200,000 Syrians

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced on Monday that the U.S.-backed offensive against the positions of the Islamic State group in Manbij has so far displaced 20,000 people, and if it continues, approximately 216,000 more will be displaced in the region. According to Reuters, on Monday, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces stated that the extensive offensive has surrounded the city of Manbij, near the Turkish border, from three directions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that people trying to leave areas controlled by the Islamic State may face serious difficulties and currently need shelter, drinking water, food, and medical services. Civilians in this area are mainly heading towards northern cities and the Jarablus crossing at the Turkish border, or towards the west and areas controlled by other rebel groups, with a few heading south to villages along the Euphrates River. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicates that people recently displaced in the war zone around Manbij may head towards al-Bab and Azaz, two cities west of Manbij, or south towards the Maskanah plains near Lake Assad. The offensive against the Islamic State positions around al-Tabqa may also displace more people. Al-Tabqa, located near the Euphrates River across from the Assad Dam, is the target of a recent offensive by the Syrian army with Russian air support. The UN report on the potential displacement of people due to this operation did not provide specific figures. It appears that both military operations supported by the U.S. and Russia are designed to advance towards Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State group in Syria. Both operations began last week shortly after the Iraqi army's assault on the city of Fallujah, which is under Islamic State control. A spokesperson for U.S.-backed rebel groups stated on Monday that as the Syrian Democratic Forces have advanced in recent days, Islamic State fighters and their families are fleeing the city of Manbij. According to this spokesperson, in one of the recent offensive attacks, more than 150 Islamic State fighters were killed, and the group's forces have reached six kilometers from the city of Manbij.