With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

A member of Manbij Military Council gestures at a car in Manbij city, Syria, December 29, 2018. Some 20 miles from the Turkish border, Manbij occupies a critical spot in the map of the Syrian conflict, near the junction of three separate blocks of territory that form spheres of Russian, Turkish and - for now - US influence. (Reuters)

With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel plays with a dog at Manbij countryside, December 28, 2018. The city of Manbij has switched control more than most places in Syria's civil war. (Reuters)

With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

People walk near the Manbij Municipality building in Manbij city, December 29, 2018. US forces have underpinned stability in Manbij since ISIS' defeat here in 2016. (Reuters)

With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

Turkey-backed rebels have been mobilizing for an attack on Manbij in nearby areas that have been under Turkey's control since it swept into northern Syria in 2016, part of its effort to roll back the YPG. (Reuters)

With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

A woman holds a bag on her head at a souk in Manbij city, December 29, 2018. Manbij has changed hands three times since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. (Reuters)

With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

People stand near the civil administration building of Manbij city, December 29, 2018. ISIS was dislodged from Manbij in 2016 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia force spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG and backed by the US-led coalition. (Reuters)

With US departure, Syria’s Manbij braces for upheaval

A street vendor sells fruits and vegetables in Manbij city, December 29, 2018. (Reuters)

People attend Christmas celebrations at Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. (Reuters)

People are dressed as Santa during the illumination of a Christmas tree in Beirut. (Reuters)

Members of the Christian expatriate community attend a mass on Christmas eve at Santa Maria Church in Dubai. (Reuters)

People walk out of Mega Mart supermarket as Santa Claus figure is displayed at the entrance in Manama. (Reuters)

Jordanians attend a mass that was held at the Catholic Latin Church in the city of Fuheis near Amman. (Reuters)

An Egyptian woman walks in front of Santa Claus toys in a Christmas decorations shop in Cairo. (Reuters)

Iraqi Christians attend a mass on Christmas Eve at the Grand Immaculate Church in al-Hamdaniya, near Mosul. (Reuters)

School in the ruins of Raqqa

In the Syrian city of Raqqa, children wear hats, scarves and coats to guard against the winter cold as they struggle to catch up on years of lost learning in a classroom with no doors or glazed windows. (Reuters)

School in the ruins of Raqqa

ISIS kept schools shut as it tried to impose its ultra-radical vision of Islam through its own education system. (Reuters)

School in the ruins of Raqqa

Since ISIS' defeat there in October 2017, 44 schools have reopened with 45,000 children enrolled. (Reuters)

School in the ruins of Raqqa

ISIS used Raqqa's schools - like much of the city - for military purposes, digging tunnels under some of them. (Reuters)

School in the ruins of Raqqa

In Raqqa, UNICEF is providing textbooks to more than 121,000 children so they can get a start while waiting for a classroom, said Juliette Touma, UNICEF s regional chief of communications. (Reuters)

School in the ruins of Raqqa

School children stand in line at a playground of a school in Raqqa, Syria November 5, 2018. As winter sets in, the dilapidated state of the schools is leading some children to miss out on yet more lessons. (Reuters)