Manbij Military Council General Command issued a written statement on the attacks by ISIS on a wide area from Cerablûs, Bab and Meskenê directions to Erîma village and the waters of the Euphrates River on June 20 (yesterday).

The statement pointed out that a large scale gang attack has been pushed twice now since the beginning of the Martyr Commander Faysal Abu Layla Operation and that the gangs have suffered great losses.

Manbij Military Council announced there had been 3 points of attack to break the siege and save the gangs trapped in Manbij city center with no escape route. The Military Council added that the gangs have been defeated.

ATTACKS PUSHED BACK, 142 GANG MEMBERS KILLED

The statement includes the following:

"ISIS gangs launched attacks on Erîma, Oseclî, Toq Xelîl, Muhteriq Kebîr, Qerha Kebîra, Qerha Sexîra, Qerha, Cib El-Eşra, Xirbit Eşra, Xirbit Al-Rûs, Neîmiyê and Cib El-Şêx villages from the Bab, Meskenê and Cerablûs direction starting from 05.00 in the morning until 16.00 in the evening on 20.06.2016.

The attack was carried out by a large terrorist group with heavy weapons, bomb-laden vehicles, shoulder-launched missiles and flame throwers and aimed to take back the El-Kitab crossing in the west entrance of Manbij. To this end, the gangs have attempted 2 car bombs. Our forces have made the necessary intervention and foiled these attempts and the terrorists have been defeated in frontline clashes.

The gangs have also attempted a car bomb on Zongil village in Cerablus. But our forces have foiled this attempts as well, and have seized the vehicle along with the explosives and ammunition mounted on it with great attention.

The gangs have also attempted an attack on the asayish (public security) forces checkpoint in Sirîn town, but all members in the attack have been killed.

Our forces have dealt heavy blows to ISIS terrorism in the clashes and the gangs have suffered great losses. 142 of the gang members have been killed and 89 of those bodies were recovered by our forces. Our Manbij Military Council forces have also seized 20 AK-47’s, 7 RPG rocket launchers (B-7), 10 flame throwers and large amounts of ammunition.

6 FIGHTERS LOST THEIR LIVES

6 of our fighters have been martyred heroically fighting the terrorists and foiling their attempts.

OPERATION CONTINUES

As the Manbij Military Council, we declare we will continue the operation to liberate Manbij and its rural areas with great determination. Our fighters are determined and insistent. ISIS terrorism is tumbling towards strategic defeat and this situation is leading to the liberation of Manbij and its rural areas."