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Syrian Democratic Forces aim to capture al-Bab, call for coalition support

KOBANE – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Sunday the formation of the al-Bab Military Council led by 16 military commanders. The city of al-Bab hosts the foreign intelligence headquarters of ISIS group, and was used by ISIS to plan attacks.

A French member of the SDF told ARA News that their forces aim to liberate as much as territory from ISIS as possible.

During a press conference, the al-Bab Military Council announced that they follow the example of the SDF-led Manbij Military Council that liberated Manbij city from ISIS last Friday.

“Drawing on the experience of our neighbours in liberated Manbij and it’s countryside, it has become necessary for us to work together to liberate our people, as a step to the liberation of all of Syria, and to build a common home,” the council said.

“That’s why we announced the founding of the military council of al-Bab and its countryside,” the organization said.

Leadership of the newly formed military council stressed that they are open to all factions and figures to join the council to fight against the Islamic State group, and called on the displaced civilians from al-Bab to join the council to fight ISIS.

Also, the al-Bab council called on the US-led coalition to support them “to liberate our land and our people from the Daesh terrorists’.

So far, it’s unclear whether the coalition would support this operation, since the coalition forces said they would now focus on retaking Raqqa–ISIS de facto capital in Syria.

“I think yes the objective of the Syrian Democratic Forces is to liberate as much areas as possible from the territories of Daesh [ISIS],” French fighter of the SDF, nicknamed Soran, told ARA News on Sunday. “Al-Bab is close to us [from Manbij], only 20 to 40 kilometers, so we have to go there, and Jarabulus too,” he said.

“We have to liberate all this part of northern Syria, everybody knows that Daesh [ISIS] gets all its weapons, volunteers from the Turkish border, and every week 100 jihadists cross the Turkish border, and Turkey is indirectly supporting Daesh,” he said.

“If we take al-Bab and Jarabulus, and make a junction with the moderate opposition in Afrin, the border will be closed, and Daesh will be isolated from the rest of the world,” Soran added.

“I am happy if this operation would start, because many of the attackers of 13th November came from the Manbij pocket, and received training. So we have to close this border,” he said.

Reporting by: Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Source: ARA News

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