The PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists will begin leaving northern Syria's Manbij region as of July 4, following a month of preparations, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Thursday.
Speaking to private broadcaster CNN Türk, Çavuşoğlu said the roadmap for a solution in Manbij which was agreed upon by the United States and Turkey last week is being implemented fully.
Last Monday, a Manbij roadmap was announced after a meeting in Washington between Çavuşoğlu and his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo. The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the YPG units from the northern Syrian city and stability in the region.
Ankara has long been criticizing the U.S. on the grounds that Daesh cannot be defeated by supporting another terrorist group such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is predominantly led by the PKK-affiliated YPG.
Ankara stresses that the U.S.' arms support to these terrorist groups will create further instability in the region and calls for the withdrawal of these groups from Syria in order to pave way for Syrians returning to their country.
U.S. military support for the YPG terrorist group in Manbij has strained ties between Ankara and Washington and has led to fears of military clashes between the two NATO allies since there are roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in the city.
Turkey previously launched Operation Olive Branch in northern Syria to clear Daesh and PKK-linked terrorist groups, including the YPG and SDF, from the region on January 20.
After liberating Syria's Afrin on March 18 alongside the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Turkish forces pressed on toward the goal of eliminating all terrorists west of the Euphrates.
On the other hand, the U.S., along with France, has intensified its military presence in Manbij, providing increased support for YPG-stocked SDF forces in northern Syria.