A US convoy transporting weapons, ammunition and military equipment entered northern Syria at the Simalkah border checkpoint between Syria and Iraq, Al-Masdar News reported, citing Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) activists.
The SDF, which is a coalition of mostly Kurdish militias in northern Syria, controls much of eastern and northern Syria, including the northeastern Al-Hasakah governorate, the region to which the latest US supply convoy was directed. The supplies are expected to assist the SDF in its ongoing battle with the remnants of Daesh (ISIL/ISIS)*, which controls several pockets of sparsely-populated territory in eastern and southern Syria.
The Turkish media and Turkish politicians have since complained that the SDF withdrawal has not allowed Turkish forces to properly enter Manbij, with local Kurdish militia allied with the US vowing to resist if Turkish troops enter the town.
The US-led coalition is estimated to have 5,000 troops across some 20 bases throughout northern Syria. Damascus has condemned the activity of both the US coalition and Turkish forces in Syria, calling their presence a violation of Syria's territorial integrity.
Presidents Putin and President Trump are expected to discuss Syria at their upcoming summit meeting in Helsinki next Monday. Earlier, US media reported that the Trump administration was looking to clinch a deal with Moscow that would allow US forces to withdraw from Syria.
