Syrian army reinforced close to front with Turkish-backed forces

Syrian government troops backed by Russian forces have sent extra troops toward the city of Manbij in coordination with the militia that controls it, a militia spokesman said, as Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said they were preparing to attack it. The deployment was coordinated with the U.S.-backed militia in Manbij, the spokesman for the Manbij Military Council said. “The battle will soon start,” Major Youssef Hamoud, spokesman for the National Army, the main Turkish-backed rebel force in the area, told Reuters.