BEIRUT —Thousands of civilians fled a northern Syrian town in anticipation of a final push by U.S.-backed forces to liberate it from Islamic State rule Wednesday, as air strikes pounded rebel-held districts in Aleppo, killing 15 civilians and damaging three hospitals.
The Syrian Democratic Forces have all but encircled Manbij, a key waypoint on an Islamic State supply line between the Turkish border and the extremist group’s de facto capital, Raqqa, according to an SDF adviser.
The Kurdish-led force, which also includes Arab fighters, has advanced under the cover of U.S.-led air strikes, and the U.S. has embedded 300 Special Forces troops with it, though Washington says they are there in an advisory capacity.
