The People's Protection Units (YPG), the PKK's Syrian wing, has been negotiating with the Syrian regime in order to handover Manbij back to them rather than leaving it to the Turkish military forces, according to recent reports.
As a response to Turkey's deal with the U.S. to clear the region from terrorists, the YPG has been trying to strengthen its alliance with the regime forces and has resisted leaving Manbij.
According to Anadolu Agency (AA), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the organization founded in Manbij as an umbrella group, increased its level of discussions with the Syrian regime while arranging various meetings between both sides at the same time.
Two weeks ago, the leaders of the organization who reside in Qandil, and representatives of the Syrian regime, came together in a Ba'ath Party building in Aleppo. A similar meeting also occurred on Sunday at the same place.
In the meeting, the Ba'ath Party's Aleppo representative Fadıl Cabbar, Abdullah Hüseyin and Ahmed Gabhan were present as well as some security officials.
In the name of the YPG, the commanders Manbij military council Jund al-Haramayn group attended the meeting.
The main subjects of the meeting, according to reports, were the prevention of Turkey's intervention into the northern Syria, regime forces' return to Manbij and the necessary security and public service precautions for the regime to return to the region.
It is also reported that two allies agreed on establishing a police force from the tribes that support Syrian regime and members of the YPG.
While the PKK is recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey, U.S. and the EU, Washington has treated its Syrian affiliate YPG as an ally in its anti-Daesh efforts. The situation often draws reactions from Turkey against its NATO ally.
Previously, the so called military council announced from its Twitter account that they will not give the control of Manbij to Turkey but rather to the Syrian regime.
The Manbij road map was announced following a meeting in Washington between Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in early June.
The first patrols by Turkish and U.S. troops in the region began on June 18.
According to the road map, the YPG will entirely leave the region.
Sources on the ground have claimed that those who have retreated so far were high-level terrorists of the Manbij Military Council. Most of them had come from northern Iraq's Qandil mountain region, where the PKK headquarters are located.
The sources added that many of the YPG terrorists were still in the region, reportedly claiming to be from Manbij in order not to retreat.
