Russian Troops Deploy Southwest of Manbij Following Syrian-Kurdish Negotiations

In the wake of Russian-mediated negotiations between Syrian and Kurdish forces over the city of Manbij earlier this month, Russian troops deployed to the city’s western countryside to support local Syrian forces in Jablat al-Hamra on March 13.

ANNA News, a Russian pro-government media outlet with reporters embedded in Syria, reported that Russian troops began demining roads in the western countryside of Manbij on March 10 as part of the implementation of the aforementioned negotiations. On March 12, pro-regime activist Nadie Harbia said Russian soldiers distributed aid to local residents in the village of Arima, and on March 13, additional Russian troops were identified guarding the gates of a Syrian military encampment in Jablat al-Hamra, a nearby village southwest of Manbij.

The Russian deployment to Jablat al-Hamra is significant given that a number of American Army Rangers and Marine artillery units have been reported just 14 miles northeast in the village of Aslia. Credit: YouTube/SMART News Agency via Storyful