Opposition Fighters Take North Syria Town from SDF, Turkish Source Says

 People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)
People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)
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Opposition Fighters Take North Syria Town from SDF, Turkish Source Says

 People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)
People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Türkiye-backed Syrian opposition groups took control of the northern Syrian town of Manbij from US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces (SDF), a Turkish security source said on Monday, a day after the opposition declared Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

The SDF had been holding the town in recent days amid intense fighting with the Syrian National Army (SNA) and other Türkiye-backed groups.

Clashes in the north continued even as the world was caught surprised by the opposition's swift successes in initially seizing Aleppo and, on Sunday, the capital Damascus in the south.

The lightening offensive took less than two weeks, after a 13-year war.

A video, verified by Reuters, showed opposition forces being welcomed by people in Manbij, which is some 30 km (19 miles) south of the Turkish border and west of the Euphrates river.

Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency reported the area is being searched for possible landmines and traps left behind by the Kurdish group.

The SDF is the main ally in a US coalition against ISIS militants. Türkiye says it is spearheaded by a terrorist group closely tied to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years.

Abdurrahman Mustafa, head of the Türkiye-backed opposition's provisional government, congratulated the troops that took Manbij.

"We stand with pride and honor with our heroic forces, and we support them to complete the liberation of every inch of our land and achieve the aspirations of our people for freedom and dignity," Mustafa said in a post on X.

The United States said it will maintain its presence in eastern Syria, where the SDF is concentrated, and will take necessary steps to prevent a resurgence of ISIS. The United States is estimated to have 900 troops in eastern Syria as a hedge against ISIS militants.

Separately, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said US strikes in Syria in recent days were focused on ISIS cells to hinder them from taking advantage of fallout from the uprising.



Palestinian Authority to Introduce Major Reforms amid Mounting Pressure from Gaza War 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)
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Palestinian Authority to Introduce Major Reforms amid Mounting Pressure from Gaza War 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)

The Palestinian Central Council will hold an extraordinary meeting to establish the position of vice president to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The meeting, set for April 23 and 24, will cap a series of reforms and changes to the Palestinian Authority (PA) that Abbas had kicked off in recent weeks under internal and foreign pressure prompted by Israel’s war on Gaza.

Some 180 members of the council have been invited to the meeting in Ramallah where they will establish the new post, but not necessarily name a person to fill it.

Abbas had announced during an emergency Arab summit in Cairo in March that he was forging ahead with changes in the PA, revealing that he will name a vice president for Palestine and for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

He also said he will restructure leadership frameworks in the state and pump new blood in the PLO, Fatah and state agencies.

The National Council, which acts as the Palestinian parliament, had in 2018 tasked the Central Council with assuming its duties.

The Council meeting will also discuss efforts to reclaim Gaza and national unity.

Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that discussions are underway over whether the post of vice president and the appointment of a figure should take place during the meeting; or whether the appointment should take place at a later date.

Regardless of the decision, what matters is that the decision to establish the post has been taken, said the sources, explaining that it meets local and international calls for reforms.

Debate had raged for years over the establishment of the position given Abbas’ age – 90 – but the war on Gaza has forced him to take decisive steps.

Arab countries have conditioned any support to the PA in Gaza after the war to it introducing wide-scale reforms and changes. The US has been making the call for years, but Abbas has repeatedly avoided the issue.