WASHINGTON -- The United States has increased the number of its forces near the northern Syrian town of Manbij as concerns have grown about the possibility of a fight breaking out among the complex array of militias and Syrian and Turkish troops operating on the crowded battlefield.
Photographs of U.S. troops in Stryker vehicles and armored Humvees flying American flags circulated Saturday on social media. The U.S.-led command that is fighting the Islamic State, a militant group also known as ISIS, acknowledged the buildup around the town but did not provide details.
"The coalition has increased its force presence in and around Manbij to deter any hostile action against the city and its civilians, to enhance local governance and to ensure there is no persistent YPG presence," a U.S. military spokesman said, using the acronym for the People's Protection Units, a Kurdish militia that has been trained by U.S. military advisers.
The Turks have repeatedly complained that Kurdish fighters, who played a critical role in taking Manbij, have yet to vacate the city, despite U.S. assurances that they have done so.
The spokesman added, "This is a deliberate action to reassure our coalition members and partner forces, deter aggression, and ensure all parties remain focused on defeating our common enemy, ISIS."
Military officials said the total number of U.S. forces in Syria had not increased. But the new deployment of U.S. troops around Manbij has been done in a visible manner.
A mix of forces is crowding the battlefield in northern Syria, including Turkish-backed Syrian militias, Syrian government forces, and Kurdish and Arab fighters trained by the United States.
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, are the current front-runners in the race to Raqqa, the Islamic State's self-declared capital. Those forces are now stationed 5 miles north of the Euphrates River city and are supported by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and a deployment of some 500 U.S. special forces operators. The Pentagon has said the U.S. forces are working in an advisory capacity.
But Turkey, a U.S. ally through NATO, says the Kurdistan Workers' Party is an extension of the Kurdish insurgency inside its own borders and has classified the party as a terror organization. Turkey has objected strongly to the Syrian Democratic Forces' offensive and also has vowed to push the Kurdish-led forces in Manbij -- the Syrian Democratic Forces' westernmost flank -- back over the banks of the Euphrates. That would disrupt the Raqqa campaign.
There are Turkish forces stationed in al-Bab, 25 miles southwest of Manbij. The threats prompted the Syrian Democratic Forces to ask Russia and the Syrian army to establish a buffer between Manbij and al-Bab.
With uncertainty building, the U.S. deployed a number of armored vehicles to its allies in Manbij, the Syrian Kurdish Rudaw news agency reported Saturday.
Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, confirmed the deployment on Twitter. He said it was meant to "deter aggression and keep focus on defeating ISIS."
Dorrian added the deployment was intended to guarantee that the Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces have left Manbij.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, who commands the U.S.-led task force that is fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, told reporters Wednesday that Syrian government troops had advanced near Manbij to the point where they were within "rifle range" of Syrian Arab fighters backed by U.S. forces.
The potential for a clash among groups advancing on the Islamic State is clear. Abu Amjed, head of the Manbij Military Council, which has responsibility for securing the city, said recently that Turkish forces had been shooting at his front lines.
Another worry is Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist opposition group, which has been supported by the Turks.
Under a recent agreement that Russia is said to have played a role in brokering, Syrian government forces are moving into villages near Manbij. The Manbij security forces appear to have ceded control of the villages to prevent them from being occupied by Turkish-backed militias or Turkish troops.
In a development that reflected the fluid and confusing battlefield, Russian aircraft on Tuesday mistakenly bombed Syrian Arab fighters trained by the United States. Townsend said the attack, which took place about 10 miles southwest of Manbij, occurred when the fighters moved into villages that had been occupied by the Islamic State.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had not carried out airstrikes in areas that the United States had previously designated as being occupied by U.S.-backed fighters.
Thousands displaced
The multi-sided clashes have displaced about 66,000 people, the United Nations humanitarian agency said Sunday.
The agency said the Turkish and Syrian opposition campaign to capture al-Bab from Islamic State militants displaced 40,000 residents. They captured the town Feb. 23, after starting operations in November.
The agency said another 26,000 residents have been displaced in fighting around Manbij and al-Khafseh, which is held by Islamic State militants. Al-Khafseh is home to the main water station for Aleppo, Syria's largest city.
Also on Sunday, a Syrian search-and-rescue group reported a bomb blast in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, killing at least eight people. Azaz is held by Syrian rebels who oppose President Bashar Assad in the country's civil war.
The Observatory said an Islamic State sleeper cell was responsible for the blast.
Meanwhile, a Turkish Cabinet minister said Sunday that the decision on whether to return a Syrian pilot who ejected into Turkey after his plane was shot down will be made after the pilot receives medical treatment.
Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli spoke with reporters in the southern border province of Hatay, where the Syrian military jet crashed Saturday. Canikli said the pilot had "a few" broken bones and was receiving treatment at a hospital, but wasn't in critical condition.
The pilot was found in an exhausted state after a nine-hour overnight search-and-rescue operation in the rain, Turkey said.
Asked whether the pilot would be returned to Syria, Canikli said that "the decision will be made in the coming days" after the pilot's duties and activities have been "clarified."
Hatay Gov. Erdal Ata told the state-run Anadolu news agency Saturday that there had been no airspace violation and no intervention by Turkish forces.
Syrian helicopters were shot down for violating Turkish airspace in 2013 and 2015, and a Syrian MiG jet was shot down in 2014 for a similar violation. A Russian military plane was similarly shot down by Turkey for violating airspace in 2015, leading to months of tension between the two countries.
Ahrar al-Sham claimed responsibility for downing the Syrian plane Saturday.
Information for this article was contributed by Michael R. Gordon of The New York Times and by Philip Issa of The Associated Press.
A Section on 03/06/2017