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1000s trapped in Daesh-held Manbij in northern Syria

The picture taken on June 10 shows a fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) walking on the outskirts of the northern Syrian town of Manbij, held by Daesh. © AFP

Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have been trapped in the Daesh-held northern city of Manbij which is encircled by Kurdish and Arab fighters.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters, surrounded Manbij on Friday, severing the Takfiri group's principal supply route between Turkey and its de facto Syrian capital, Raqqah city.

Manbij lies at the heart of the last stretch of territory along Turkey's border still under the control of Daesh, and it was a key point on the terrorists’ supply line from Turkey.

“Tens of thousands of civilians still there can't leave as all the routes out of town are cut,” Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

“Bakeries in the town haven't been open since Friday and food is beginning to become rare,” Abdel Rahman added.

A Syrian woman and her child are seen on the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij held by Daesh, on June 10, 2016. (AFP photo) 

The London-based monitoring group also said warplanes from a US-led coalition have been conducting heavy bombing raids on the town and its surroundings.

It said nearly 160 Daesh terrorists, 22 SDF troops as well as 37 civilians have been killed since the alliance launched its Manbij offensive on May 31.

Syria has been gripped by militancy since March 2011.

UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.


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