Kurdish Syrian forces have asked the Syrian government for protection against a Turkish attack in a flashpoint town, triggered by a shock US decision to withdraw forces from the country which left them exposed.

Syrian troops erected the national flag in the outskirts of Manbij - the first time it has flown in the northern town for more than six years.

“The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive,” said Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish official. “If the Turks’ excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government.”

A statement released earlier by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) said they had invited government forces to the town, as they are “obliged to protect the same country, nation and borders."

Kurdish YPG fighters still based there are part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance battling Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). The town has been governed for the last two years by the Manbij Military Council, which is allied to the SDF.