Syrian Kurdish YPG to be removed from Manbij, Turkey's Erdogan says

ANKARA (Reuters) - The U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia will be removed from the Syrian town of Manbij after Islamic State fighters are driven from the nearby town of al-Bab, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. In a speech in Ankara, Erdogan also said that discussions were underway with the United States about a possible joint operation to push Islamic State from the Syrian town of Raqqa. Turkey aimed to create a "safe zone" covering 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) in northern Syria, he said. (Reporting by Ercan Gurses and Daren Butler; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall)