Kurdish YPG militia says to depart Syria's Manbij to head to Raqqa

Residents stand near a damaged building in Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 9, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said

ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Kurdish YPG militia will pull its forces from the Syrian city of Manbij and withdraw east of the Euphrates River in order to participate in the campaign to liberate the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, it said in a statement.

U.S. special envoy Brett McGurk described the move as a "milestone", saying on Twitter that all YPG units would depart Manbij after training local units to maintain the city's security against Islamic State.