02.04.2018, Ankara.
The French military contingent is sent to the city of Manbij (the Syrian Province of Aleppo), Turkish daily newspaper Yeni Şafak reports on April 2.
50 French servicemen were sent to the Syrian city to support the Kurdish militia, the report specifies. Four planes transported the soldiers and officers of the French Armed Forces to Aleppo province.
According to the sources of the newspaper, not all servicemen arrived from France, some of them were already at military bases in Syria.
The transfer of French troops to Manbij took place on March 30, but the media learned about it only on April 2, reports the newspaper. Official sources have not confirmed these reports yet.
On March 29, French President Emmanuel Macron met with the delegation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). He said that troops will be send to Manbij “very soon” in order to help the Kurds, at the same time coordinating his actions with the Pentagon.
Macron also offered to have France as an intermediary between the Syrian Kurds (SDF delegates represent their interests during the negotiations) and Turkey.
Ankara rejected this idea. On March 30, Ibrahim Kalin, the Turkish Presidential Spokesman, said that there could be no dialogue with the “terrorists”. In Turkey, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG and YPJ) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) are considered to be terrorist organizations.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
