Kurdish fighters expelled IS militants from Aleppo’s Manbij

Arab and Kurdish fighters have expelled Islamic State group jihadists from Manbij in Aleppo province, bringing an end to a long ordeal for those who remained in the city during weeks of fierce fighting.

A strategic location in Aleppo province, Manbij is now nearly deserted and few buildings have escaped the fighting unscathed. Arab and Kurdish fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by air support from the US-led coalition, have successfully wrested control of the city from Islamic State group jihadists and are now flushing out the last remaining militants.

The victory came as the United Nations called Tuesday for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, in which it said 2 million residents were without access to running water or electricity after attacks hit civilian infrastructure last week.

“The UN is extremely concerned that the consequences will be dire for millions of civilians if the electricity and water networks are not immediately repaired,” said a statement from the UN’s humanitarian coordinators for Syria.