In northern Syria, Turkey and Russia have begun joint patrols on the Turkish-Syrian border. This was reported by the Turkish news agency Anadolu and the station TRT. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the military went on strike east of the Syrian border town of Al-Darbasia.
The Moscow Ministry of Defense confirmed that the first patrol began on Friday. You move west along the Syrian-Turkish border. Altogether "nine units, security vehicles and transporters of the Russian military police" are on a route of more than 110 kilometers on the road, it was said in a statement of the Russian military.
TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE HANDOUT / EPA-EFE / REX
A picture provided by the Turkish military shows military vehicles in the border area between Turkey and Syria
The patrols are the result of an agreement between Turkey and Russia on 22 October - about two weeks after the beginning of an internationally criticized Turkish military offensive against the Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist organization and wants to expel them from the border area. Russia is the protector of the Syrian government.
The agreement, which resulted in a ceasefire, initially provided for withdrawal of the YPG from border areas until Tuesday. According to Russia, this is completed. Turkey had threatened to resume its offensive and "cleanse" the area itself of "terrorists" if fighters remained there.
In addition, the YPG fighters should withdraw to 30 kilometers from the Turkish border. The Turkish-Russian patrols are to penetrate ten kilometers deep from the border into Syria. The agreement applies to areas east of the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border - with some exceptions.
These include a border area between the Syrian cities of Tall Abyad and Ras al-Ain, which has been under Turkish control since another agreement with the US. On Thursday, however, for the first time since the beginning of the US withdrawal soldiers of the US Army in the village Kahtanijah east of Kamischli can be seen.
