US Special Forces assisting with tactical operations and planning near the frontlines. The SDF captured three villages and the al-Gharra Mountain from ISIL, located southeast of the ISIL stronghold of Manbij. This advancement put the SDF and YPG within 15 kilometres of Manbij. The offensive was launched from two directions, from the Tishrin Dam area and the ruins of the Qara Qozak Bridge, near Sarrin. It was reported that US Special Forces constructed an Armoured vehicle-launched bridge (AVLB) at the site of the destroyed Qara Qozak Bridge, to enable SDF forces to cross the Euphrates River. On 1 June, the SDF captured Najam Castle, on the west bank of the Euphrates River, across from Sarrin, and linked the two fronts east of Manbij, advancing along the M4 Highway and the west bank of the Euphrates. These advances nearly doubled the SDF-held territory near Manbij since the start of the offensive, and brought the SDF within 12 kilometers of Manbij. On 3 June, Abu Layla, a leading commander of the Manbij Military Council, was severely injured during the clashes with ISIL. He was subsequently moved to Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan for treatment but he died of his wounds two days later; the offensive was subsequently named after him in his honor. By this point, SDF forces had captured around 50 villages and almost 400 square kilometers of land from ISIL, within the past week. Encirclement of Manbij On 4 June, the SDF captured another eight villages, and cut the road between Manbij and Ar-Raqqah. Heavy fighting continued on 5 June, five kilometers from Manbij. On 5 June, the SDF captured the village of Awn Dadat, north of Manbij, severing the Jarabulus-Manbij road. SDF forces also captured Khirbat Hisan, Malla Saad, and Safiya, to the north of Manbij, killing dozens of ISIL militants. By early 6 June, it was reported that the SDF had captured 10 more villages from ISIL near Manbij, including Kabir al-Kabir, located 5 km south of Manbij, putting ISIL in a state of high alert. Due to the SDF advancement and the ongoing encirclement of Manbij, ISIL was reportedly beginning to transfer fighters from the Azaz frontline to Manbij, in order to reinforce their positions against the SDF. On 6 June, ISIL fighters were reportedly fleeing Manbij with their families, while ISIL attempted to regain control over Om Ezam village and its vicinity. That day, the SDF took