The US Department of Defense assured today that the ceasefire between Turkey and US-backed Kurdish forces around Manbij in northern Syria is still being observed.

Washington recently brokered a ceasefire deal after heavy fighting broke out as rebel groups pushed towards Damascus to oust President Bashar al-Assad. However, on December 19 a Turkish Defense Ministry official reported that there had been no talks on a ceasefire agreement between Ankara and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“The ceasefire is being observed in this part of northern Syria,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh assured reporters today.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are backed by the US and have led the war against Islamic State jihadists in Syria. Spearheading the SDF are the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging an armed struggle against the Turkish state for 40 years.

Turkey has designated the PKK, the YPG and the SDF as “terrorist organizations”. Unlike the PKK, the latter two are not considered “terrorist organizations” by the US and other allies.

The US maintains about 2,000 troops in Syria working with the SDF in operations against the Islamic State, aiming to prevent the jihadist group which in 2014 controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria from rebuilding.