Turkish defence ministry says YPG has no authority to invite others to Manbij

Turkey’s defence ministry said on Friday the Kurdish YPG militia has no authority to invite other elements into the northern Syrian town of Manbij, and warned all parties to refrain from destabilising the region.

Its comments came a few hours after the Syrian army announced it had entered Manbij and raised the Syrian flag in the town, after the YPG militia urged the government of President Bashar al-Assad to protect the town from Turkish attacks.