mo4ch:>Kurdish troops begin withdrawal from Syria’s Manbij | Mo4ch News

US-backed Kurdish militia has begun to withdraw from Manbij in northern Syria, inviting the Syrian army to move in as Turkey masses troops on the border. Kurdish presence in the city was a major irritant for Turkey.About 30 vehicles and 400 members of the Kurdish YPG militia have left Manbij since January 1, as part of an agreement with Damascus, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The Kurdish fighters are pulling back across the Euphrates river, the Syrian government said.Video of the withdrawal was posted on the Syrian Defense Ministry’s Facebook page.The Kurds have been the main element of the US-backed ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’, a proxy army operating in northeastern Syria against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The SDF has previously refused to restore the territories liberated from IS to Syrian government rule. That changed, however, after US President Donald Trump announced last month that US forces will be leaving Syria.Last week, the Syrian army …