SDF Gives ISIS 48 Hours to Leave Manbij As US-Backed Strikes Criticised

The Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday gave fighters from the so-called Islamic State 48 hours to leave the besieged town of Manbij, Agence France Presse reported.

Backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, the SDF has been fighting to push ISIS out of Manbij, located in Aleppo governorate, northwest Syria, since May. The airstrikes have led to a local and international outcry. At least 56 civilians, including children, were killed on Tuesday, with bombing continuing into Thursday morning, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

International rights groups have asked for an investigation into the claims of civilian deaths from U.S.-led airstrikes, and the Syrian opposition has asked for a suspension of the attacks. In response, the SDF issued a statement giving ISIS fighters 48 hours to leave.

“In order to protect civilian lives and property and to protect the town from destruction we announce that we accept the initiative under which besieged IS members would leave with their individual light weapons,” the statement read.

The SOHR noted that tens of thousands of civilians are still in Manbij. The Pentagon has recognized only 41 civilian deaths since 2014 as a result of its strikes in both Syria and Iraq. According to the SOHR, however, U.S.-led raids have killed more than 450 Syrian civilians.

“We will conduct an investigation on any possible civilian casualties in this matter, as we always do, and we’ll be transparent about that,” U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Wednesday.

Darayya Under Siege and Continued Government Attacks

Syrian regime forces launched a major offensive this week on the rebel-held and government-besieged city of Darayya, lying 5 miles (8km) west of the capital Damascus.

Last month, Darayya received aid for the first time in four years. But bombings have resumed as forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad gain ground. There have been no subsequent aid deliveries, according to Syria Direct. The four-year siege has left medical and food supplies dwindling, and the infrastructure has been largely reduced to rubble.

Approximately 8,300 civilians still live in Darayya, once home to 80,000. The city is one of the last rebel-held areas west of the capital and has seen heavy bombardment from the Syrian government.

Since the start of the month, some 700 barrel bombs reportedly hit the city, according to Zaman al-Wasl. On Sunday alone, a dozen barrel bombs, four missile strikes and eight surface-to-surface rockets hit the city, a member of the Liwa Shuhada al-Islam opposition group told Syria Direct.

“The reality is the regime is no longer interested in negotiating with us. It feels like a military victory is at hand,” he said. “They have demanded total surrender. Given our desperation, we would welcome any reasonable attempt to mitigate the violence.”

ICRC: Situation in Aleppo is ‘Devastating and Overwhelming’

The head of the delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Marianne Gasser, said violence in Aleppo is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Gasser, currently in Syria’s largest city, described a situation where residential areas, hospitals and medical workers are being targeted.

“No adult, let alone child, should have to live through this. People are trying to survive in the most desperate of circumstances. All parties to the conflict, and all those with influence over them, must stop ignoring the laws of war. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected,” she said in an ICRC news release.

The city of Aleppo is split between east and west, with the east side dominated by the rebels. Government forces recently cut off the last rebel supply route out of the city, Castello Road, and effectively besieged east Aleppo, where approximately 300,000 people are still living.

Recommended Reads:

• The Washington Post: Is Al-Qaeda’s Affiliate in Syria No Longer a ‘Sideshow’?
• The Guardian: ‘We Feared the Worst’: Turkey’s Failed Coup a Relief for Syrian Refugees
• Brookings Institute: Will Forcibly Displaced Syrians Get Their Land Back?
• Reuters: Seeing No Future, Deserters and Draft-Dodgers Flee Syria
• Voice of America: US-backed Kurdish Forces Benefitting From Oil in Syria