The United States will take measures to ensure deconfliction with Turkey in the Syrian town of Manbij, US Department of Defense spokesman Col. Rob Manning told reporters on Monday.
"As you know, we have US forces in Manbij. We do not have US forces in Afrin, in western Syria, but there are US forces in Manbij," Manning said. "It's been very clear to all parties that US forces are there. And we'll take measures to make sure that we deconflict."
When asked whether the Defense Department will keep forces in Manbij, Manning said, "I have no indication otherwise."
On Thursday, İbrahim Kalın, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said that Turkey plans with the United States to create a safe zone around Manbij after Kurdish forces leave the area.
Manning said on Monday that the reshuffle in the US State Department leadership may lead to a delay in the implementation of the US-Turkey arrangement on Manbij for one or two weeks.
