08 July 2018•Update: 09 July 2018
AZAZ/IDLIB, Syria
Residents in the northern Syrian city of Manbij have told Anadolu Agency they want Turkish troops to clear their land of YPG/PKK terrorists.
The Turkish military recently completed its 10th round of patrolling in the city.
Displaced by YPG/PKK terrorist group in Syria's north, people of Manbij said they long for the day to return to their homes after Turkish troops took control of the strategic district.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Um Abdullah, who fled to Turkey after the terror group invaded their lands in Manbij, said they left their homes after facing oppression by terrorists.
"They forcefully armed our children. This is our homeland. The so-called government is not ours," Um Abdullah said.
She said Manbij will never be free as long as terrorists exist.
"They [the YPG/PKK] are harassing the people. They bother our children and daughters. We went to Syria from Turkey during Eid. We saw our family in Manbij but now we are returning back to Turkey.
"We want to freely live in Manbij and want Turkey to eliminate our homeland from terrorists," she said.
Another local from Manbij Ahmed Muhammed Horan said: "Turkey has always been on our side. We were forced to flee to Turkey. We came to our lands during Eid to visit our families after a very long time.
"We were able to see them with the help of Turkish soldiers and the Free Syrian Army. We long for Turkish army to eliminate terrorists from Manbij."
Mahmoud Nour, a member of the national army linked to the Free Syrian Army, said people will be able to return to their own lands once the terrorists are eliminated from Manbij.
Turkey and the U.S. have set a three-month timetable to complete tasks they agreed in a deal on Syria's Manbij, a Turkish government spokesman said in mid-June.
The Manbij deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city and stability in the region.
Reporting by Omer Koparan and Burak Karacaoglu:Writing by Merve Aydogan
