The Manbij Military Council (MMC) is a coalition established by several groups in the
Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...
(SDF), primarily the
Northern Sun Battalion, on 2 April 2016 at the
Tishrin Dam
The Tishrin Dam (; ) is a dam on the Euphrates river, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The dam is high, and has 6 water turbines capable of producing 630 MW. Construction took place between 1991 and 1999. Rescue excavat ...
on the
Euphrates
The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
. The MMC led the SDF's
Manbij offensive from June 2016 that led to the capture of the city of
Manbij
Manbij (; ; ) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000. from the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
two months later. Most fighters in the MMC are from Manbij and the surrounding areas.
History
2016

The Manbij offensive has included the Manbij Military Council,
US special operations forces
United States special operations forces (SOF) are the active and reserve component forces of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force within the US military, as designated by the Secretary of Defense and specifically organized ...
, and minimal
YPG and
YPJ involvement assisted by
US-led coalition airstrikes. The SDF fighters are mostly
Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
. During the offensive, an SDF fighter gave his perspective as "we have Arabs, Kurds, nobody knows how many exactly, we all work under the SDF-forces".
On 5 April 2016, a civilian council was formed in the town of
Sarrin by individuals originally from Manbij who had fled when
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
(ISIL) took over. The council consists of Arabs,
Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
,
Turkmen, and
Circassians
The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...
, and was created to administer Manbij after its capture.
The commander of the Manbij Military Council,
Abu Layla, died of wounds he suffered from gunshots in the Manbij front against the Islamic State. He was succeeded by Muhammad Mustafa ("Abu Adel").
On 19 August 2016, the Manbij Military Council issued a statement which announced that it was taking over the security of Manbij city center and villages from the YPG and YPJ, though some of their fighters remained to continue to provide training and other support duties.
In early November 2016, a 'battalion' from the
Sham Legion
The Sham Legion (, ''Faylaq al-Shām'' lit. Levant Legion) was an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups formed in March 2014, during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed from 19 different groups, some of which were previously affil ...
defected and joined the MMC.
On 17 November 2016, the rest of the YPG and YPJ fighters left Manbij, leaving the security of the area and training of troops fully to the council.
2017
On 2 March 2017, the Manbij Military Council handed over a vast expanse of territory west of Manbij to the
Syrian Army
The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...
to create a buffer zone between the SDF and Turkish-backed rebels. They released a statement saying that "Defending the civilians and protecting them from the adverse impact of the war, ensuring the security of Manbij and frustrating the invasion plans of the Turkish army against Syrian soil are the goals we have taken for all the peoples living on the lands of Syria,"
and that
and
On 17 April 2017, it was announced that 200 fighters from the council would participate in the
Battle of Tabqa to take
al-Thawra, part of the larger
Raqqa campaign.
On 24 May 2017, an additional 2,200 fighters were sent for the
fourth phase of the campaign.
The Manbij Military Council fought in the
Battle of Raqqa since 6 June 2017. On 29 August, Adnan Abu Amjad, general commander of the Manbij Military Council, was
killed in action
Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...
during the battle.
On 17 September 2017, Muhammad Mustafa Ali, also known by his
nom de guerre
A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war.
In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
"Abu Adel", was appointed the general commander of the Manbij Military Council as the successor of Adnan Abu Amjad.
[ On 5 November 2017, Abu Adel was wounded by an IED of Harakat al-Qiyam, a rebel group in northern Syria.]
On 27 November 2017, the Martyr Adnan Abu Amjad Regiment, consisting of 250 fighters was established, and joined the MMC.
2018
During the Turkish invasion of Afrin, the Manbij Military Council released a condemnation stating, “This aggression that practices ethnic cleansing and mass genocide against our people in Afrin is aimed for producing terrorist groups in areas where there is peace and coexistence.” The Council prepared to resist a possible Turkish attack on Manbij, with hundreds of additional SDF troops transferred from the Deir Ezzor frontlines.
On 5 June 2018, a day after Turkey and the U.S. agreed to a roadmap for the Manbij region, the YPG announced it would withdraw its remaining forces there, who they stated were serving as tactical advisors to the MMC.
2019
On 11 March 2019, Manbij Military Council Co-Chair Muhammad Mustafa told Al-Monitor
''Al-Monitor'' is a news website launched in 2012 by the Arab-American entrepreneur Jamal Daniel. Based in Washington, D.C., ''Al-Monitor'' provides reporting and analysis from and about the Middle East. ''Al-Monitor'' is the recipient of the I ...
that “Russian commanders told us exactly two days ago that the minute the Americans leave they will deploy their forces along the demarcation line.”
On 19 March, it was reported that the MMC had facilitated the capture of five Islamic State militants believed responsible for a January 2019 suicide bombing which killed four Americans.
On 26 March, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a checkpoint bombing that killed 7 members of the MMC.
During Operation Peace Spring, the Council prepared to defend Manbij from Turkey, until the SDF reached a military agreement with the Syrian Government and Russia to prevent a Turkish operation.
On 15 October, under the terms of the military agreement, Russian and Syrian troops were positioned along SDF’s frontlines with Turkey in Manbij. While some international media outlets inaccurately reported that Manbij had come under Syrian Government control, the two sides only agreed to station the SAA on the Autonomous Administration’s borders with Turkey, and the Government has no institutions in Manbij.
2020
On 3 February 2019, the Manbij Military Council called on Manbij residents serving in Syrian National Army militias in Turkish-occupied zones to defect and return to the region.
On 10 June, the Council’s spokesperson, Shervan Derwish, survived an IED assassination attempt.
2021
On 2 June 2021, the Manbij Military Council announced it would halt regional conscription in the face of popular local protests, as well as some riots.
As with every other year, Turkish forces shelled MMC positions multiple times in 2021.
2022
Turkey shelled the Manbij countryside including many villages constantly in 2022, killing and displacing civilians as a result. The MMC and its components including the Kurdish Front, Al-Bab Military Council and the Army of Revolutionaries vowed again the resist any Turkish operation against Manbij region.
2024
As part of the Manbij offensive (2024) and the subsequent US brokered ceasefire between the SDF and Syrian National Army
The Syrian National Army (SNA; ), also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups that participate in the Syrian civil war. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the sta ...
(SNA) Manbij Military Council forces withdrew from the city of Manbij. However as of December 25th they claimed to still have a presence on the west bank of the Euphrates in the city of Tishrin.
References
{{Reflist
Syrian Democratic Forces
Anti-ISIL factions in Syria
Military units and formations established in 2016
2016 establishments in Syria