Smoke and flame rose from Manbij in what Syria Democratic Forces said were U.S.-led airstrikes… U.S.-backed forces entered the Islamic State-controlled city of Manbij in Syria for the first time on Thursday, advancing on an area that anchors the extremist group’s last remaining stretch of territory along the Turkish border. After weeks of battle to capture the villages surrounding Manbij and encircle the city, Arab and Kurdish forces backed by more than 230 U.S. coalition airstrikes entered the western edge of the city, said Ahmad Hisso Araj, a spokesman for the U.S.-backed coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. Clashes were already taking place inside the city, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group. Fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces took shelter near Manbij. Fighting is under way to… The force had previously said it was holding off on storming the city for […]