Turkish Source: Syrian Opposition Close to Defeating Kurdish Forces in Manbij

Türkiye-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Türkiye-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
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Turkish Source: Syrian Opposition Close to Defeating Kurdish Forces in Manbij

Türkiye-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Türkiye-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)

Türkiye-backed Syrian forces have taken control of some 80% of northern Syria's Manbij area and are close to victory against Kurdish forces there, a Turkish security source said on Sunday.
"The fight against the YPG/PKK is very close to victory. Both air and land interventions are ongoing to take Manbij from the hands of the YPG/PKK," the source said, referring to the Kurdish militia which has long been in control of Manbij.



Trump's Syria Announcement Surprised his Own Sanctions Officials

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
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Trump's Syria Announcement Surprised his Own Sanctions Officials

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

When President Donald Trump announced in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that he would lift all sanctions on Syria, the decision took many in the region by surprise.

It also caught some in his own administration off guard.

In Washington, senior officials at the State Department and Treasury Department scrambled to understand how to cancel the sanctions, many of which have been in place for decades, according to four US officials familiar with the matter.

The White House had issued no memorandum or directive to State or Treasury sanctions officials to prepare for the unwinding and didn’t alert them that the president’s announcement was imminent, one senior US official told Reuters.

After the announcement, officials were confused about exactly how the administration would unwind the layers of sanctions, which ones were being eased and when the White House wanted to begin the process.

By the time Trump met interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, officials at State and Treasury were still unsure how to proceed, the senior official said.

“Everyone is trying to figure out how to implement it,” said one US official in reference to the president’s announcement.