File Photo: A Syrian officer walks in the largely destroyed Hajar al-Aswad district, south of Damascus, Syria, on May 22, 2018, a day after it was declared free of the Islamic State (IS) militants. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the United States supports the launch of operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State (IS) in Dashisha, Syria.
In a statement, Pompeo said the operations had been planned for months in coordination with Iraqi forces across the border to ensure IS members "have no escape".
The Department of State "has been proud to lend diplomatic support through this planning process" and "will also work to ensure that all the diverse people of northeast Syria, including Arabs, Kurds, Christian, and Turkmen, have an appropriate say in defining the future of Syria," Pompeo said.
The statement came on the heels of Pompeo's joint statement with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday, when the two sides reaffirmed the commitment to address their common concerns "in a spirit of allied partnership".
Syria's strategic city Manbij was recaptured from the IS in 2016 by the U.S.-backed SDF, which is mainly led by the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey has repeatedly demanded that Washington drive the YPG out from Manbij, where about 2,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed.
Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained over Washington's support to the YPG, prompting fears of military clashes in Manbij between the two NATO allies.