The Manbij Military Council (MMC) is a coalition established by several groups in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), primarily the Northern Sun Battalion, on 2 April 2016 at the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates.

[12] On 5 April 2016, a civilian council was formed in the town of Sarrin by individuals originally from Manbij who had fled when Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took over.

On 17 November 2016, the rest of the YPG and YPJ fighters left Manbij, leaving the security of the area and training of troops fully to the council.

During the Turkish invasion of Afrin, the Manbij Military Council released a condemnation stating, “This aggression that practices ethnic cleansing and mass genocide against our people in Afrin is aimed for producing terrorist groups in areas where there is peace and coexistence.”[22] The Council prepared to resist a possible Turkish attack on Manbij, with hundreds of additional SDF troops transferred from the Deir Ezzor frontlines.

[23] On 5 June 2018, a day after Turkey and the U.S. agreed to a roadmap for the Manbij region, the YPG announced it would withdraw its remaining forces there, who they stated were serving as tactical advisors to the MMC.

[24] On 11 March 2019, Manbij Military Council Co-Chair Muhammad Mustafa told Al-Monitor that “Russian commanders told us exactly two days ago that the minute the Americans leave they will deploy their forces along the demarcation line.”[25] On 19 March, it was reported that the MMC had facilitated the capture of five Islamic State militants believed responsible for a January 2019 suicide bombing which killed four Americans.

[37][38][39][40][41][42] The MMC and its components including the Kurdish Front, Al-Bab Military Council and the Army of Revolutionaries vowed again the resist any Turkish operation against Manbij region.