had announced the end of their operations north of Manbij, three SDF groups declared the formation of the "Jarabulus Military Council" to take Jarabulus from ISIL on 22 August. The new council had a very negative stance toward Turkey, which the council members blamed for supporting ISIL, and warned "the Turkish state of the drastic consequences of its aggressive acts against the Syrian territories and its components, especially in our region in Jarablos". Just a few hours after the declaration, the leader of the council Abdel Sattar al-Jader was assassinated in al-Shyoukh at the Sajur River frontline by unknown gunmen, who may have belonged to the Turkish National Intelligence Organization according to the SDF. Al-Masdar News noted that the assassins could also have been members of ISIL, since al-Jabar was shot near the frontline. On the same day, the SDF captured 8 villages south of Manbij from ISIL, while the Turkish Army fired about 20 rounds of artillery strikes on SDF positions near Manbij with howitzers across the Syrian border after several stray shells from Syria landed inside Turkish territory. On 24 August, the SDF continued to advance south of Manbij, repelling a minor ISIL counter-offensive and capturing another village. As Turkey and several Turkish-backed FSA groups launched their offensive to capture Jarabulus from ISIL, reportedly 3,000 civilians fled from the town to the SDF-controlled areas around Manbij. US Vice President Joe Biden demanded the same day, that the YPG should give Manbij over to Arab SDF forces and retreat to the eastern side of the Euphrates. The YPG, however, initially refused to withdraw from Manbij, while the Jarabulus Military Council groups declared that they would not give up their hometown to the Turkish-backed rebel groups which they considered "no different from ISIS". In consequence, when Turkish-backed FSA units forcibly attempted to enter the SDF-held village of Amarinah, they were met with resistance and were eventually driven off by the SDF. Secretary of State John Kerry however assured the Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu on 25 August, that the SDF had started to retreat to the eastern side of the Euphrates. A spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve later announced that the SDF had withdrawn across the Euphrates river in order to prepare for an offensive on Raqqa. The YPG later separately announced it had withdrawn to the east of Euphrates and said all military command along with all YPG-held positions was