(MENAFN) On Tuesday, the US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters that her country and Turkey have not reached a deal over the northern Syrian city of Manbij despite reports in Turkish press that the US and Turkey will provide security for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that will be withdrawing from the region.
Turkey and the United States have been negotiating over fate of Manbij - captured by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from Islamic State (ISIS) in August, 2016 - for months; Turkey's ongoing military operation into Syria has taken the sides on a collision course over the Syrian city, where the U.S. maintains military presence.
"We don't have any agreements yet with the Government of Turkey"" Nauert said.
"The two sides had outlined the contours of a roadmap for further cooperation," including on Manbij, she added, affirming that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looked forward to hosting his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Washington on June 4 to continue those conversations.
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