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'Terrorists to be disarmed under deal on Manbij'

Turkish foreign minister said Tuesday YPG/PKK terrorists will be disarmed under a roadmap drawn up by Turkey and the U.S. to rid Manbij, Syria, of the terror group.

The roadmap on Manbij was announced after a meeting between Mevlut Cavusoglu and his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo on Monday.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city and regional stability in the region.

"Once [the implementation of] Manbij model is completed, a similar model to be applied to other areas of Syria occupied by the terrorist YPG," Cavusoglu told reporters in the southern Antalya province.

The Turkish minister said the roadmap was not "an international agreement" but rather "a bilateral roadmap".

"No 3rd country will have a say in Turkey-US deal whether it is France, United Kingdom or Belgium."

Following a visit by former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Ankara in February, Turkey and the U.S. established a mechanism to address separate issues in working groups, including the stabilization of Manbij and to prevent any undesirable clashes.

The first meeting of the working group on Syria was held on March 8-9 in Washington.

U.S. military support for the YPG/PKK 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.


00:43 06.06.2018