MOSCOW (Sputnik) – City authorities and the military council of Syria’s Manbij would like to transfer it under the control of the Syrian government army after Kurdish militants’ withdrawal, Al Watan newspaper reported Saturday citing its sources.
"The military council and the majority of residents consider Turkey an occupying country that wants to oust the Kurds from their territory, as it was done in Afrin, so they want the return of the Syrian authorities in the city," the source said.
The talks between the council and representatives of the Syrian state are underway, and Moscow is aware about them, the source added.
"[Russia] will enter into negotiations with Turkey to satisfy the wishes of the inhabitants of Manbij, who are rejecting the Turkish presence," the source stressed.
However, the Syrian authorities are against the presence of US or Turkish forces in Syria. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has denounced their actions as breaching the UN resolution.