“We have no shortage in terms of weapons, ammunition or fighters, and we are morally ready as well. A 10,000-strong force is ready for Manbij,” Afeisi said in an exclusive interview with Yeni Şafak daily.
Highlighting the significance of a possible operation in Manbij, Afeisi pointed to the US activities in the region.
“We regard Manbij as strategically important as Afrin, so as Syria’s National Army (“al-Jaysh al-Watani”) we have declared war against the Kurdistan workers’ Party (PKK) formations in Manbij. Rather than the PKK, the US is the more pressing problem. In the case that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the FSA were to enter Manbij, the US, as it did in Afrin, will withdraw its support from the terrorists. If it does not, we will battle US forces deployed in that region as well.”
