Turkish army chief, NATO general discuss Manbij roadmap

Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Curtis Scaparotti on Wednesday discussed the Turkish-U.S. Manbij roadmap over the phone.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Turkish General Staff said Akar and Scaparrotti also addressed the security situation in the north of Syria and the security issues in the Manbij-focused roadmap.

The Manbij roadmap was announced after a meeting in Washington last week between Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city and on stability in the region.

Should the model prove a success, Turkey will push for a similar arrangement in eastern Syria.

If the Manbij model is successfully implemented, eastern Syria could eventually become a joint U.S.-Turkish zone of influence.