Turkey, Russia resume joint patrols in northeast Syria
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Turkish and Russian troops in armored vehicles resume joint ground patrols in northeast Syria.
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Russian and Turkish forces enter Syria, as they begin their joint patrol, on November 5, 2019. (AP)
Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced on Friday that Turkish and Russian forces have resumed joint ground patrols in armored vehicles across northeastern Syria. The operations, previously suspended last year due to security concerns, are back in action as part of ongoing military cooperation in the region.
According to the statement, the joint ground patrol was relaunched on Thursday in the area east of the "Operation Peace Spring" zone in northeast Syria. The operation involved four vehicles and 24 personnel.
The Ministry did not provide details about the security concerns that led to the suspension of joint patrol operations in October of last year. It did note, however, that a total of 344 joint patrols have been conducted in the area since 2019.
These patrols are part of coordinating joint actions between Russia and Turkey in Syria, which began after the Sochi summit held on September 17, 2018, between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which saw the signing of the agreement on de-escalation zones and the disarmament of heavy weapons from the al-Nusra militants in Idlib and its environs.
The Turkish Defense Ministry stated that joint ground patrols will continue shortly to enhance stability in northeast Syria, secure Turkey's borders, and showcase Turkish-Russian cooperation.
