As Turkey continues its assault on the Kurds in Syria, the northern Syria city of Manbij is rapidly becoming a highly strategic spot - and potential flashpoint - due to its location just 30km from the Turkish border.
Situated in the northern province of Aleppo, it has changed hands several times and long been eyed by Turkey during Syria's tangled war which started in 2011.
Here is some background on the city's significance:
Syrian government soldiers pose for a group photo with national flags and portraits of President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of the northern city of Manbij Source: Getty Images
When Syria's conflict broke out in 2011, Manbij had a population of 120,000, all Sunni Muslims, a majority of whom are Arabs with a quarter being Kurds.
Manbij is close to zones controlled by Turkey-backed rebels.
Rebels, jihadists, Kurds
Syrian rebels fighting the regime overran the city in 2012. Two years later, it fell to the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
It became an important crossroads for the transportation of IS fighters, weapons, and money between Turkey and areas they controlled at the time in Syria.
In 2016, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance waged a two-month battle for Manbij, backed by the US-led coalition's airstrikes and advisors.
After ousting IS from Manbij on August 2016, the SDF handed over the town to an affiliated civil council.
It became a place of refuge for thousands displaced by the ongoing fighting against IS elsewhere.
US in Manbij 'buffer'
After helping the SDF capture Manbij from the IS, US troops remained in the city.
Simultaneously, IS jihadists were losing territory all around Manbij to competing forces, with Russian-backed Syrian government troops to the south and Turkey-backed rebels to the north.
That put US forces stationed in Manbij at the centre of a de facto buffer zone between the bitterly divided factions.
In March 2017, the Pentagon said it had sent additional troops to the city.
A January 2019 suicide attack claimed by IS killed four US servicemen and 15 other people at a restaurant in Manbij, in the deadliest attack against US forces since they deployed in 2014.
Turkey eyes Manbij
The SDF is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) - a group Turkey sees as the extension of an outlawed Kurdish faction in its own southeast.
Ankara fears a powerful Kurdish presence on its southern border and was enraged when the SDF took Manbij.
Weeks after the city was taken, Ankara launched a cross-border operation just north of Manbij, fighting both IS and the SDF for eight months.
In January 2018, Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies opened a fresh front, driving the Kurds out of Afrin city in March.
Under regime control
Turkey-backed Syrian fighters kneel to pray as they gather with Turkish troops (unseen) at northern city of Manbij near the Turkish border. Source: Getty Images
In December, the YPG called on Syrian government forces to deploy around Manbij to help counter the threat of a fresh Turkish offensive. The army deployed around, but not inside, the city.
On 9 October 2019, Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies launched their third offensive against the YPG militia. On the 13th, the Pentagon said US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria.
The Kurdish forces turned to Damascus, which deployed troops to the north under an accord struck to contain the Turkish offensive.
On 15 October Syrian government forces took full control of Manbij city and its surroundings
