Turkey, Russia complete 13th joint patrol in N.Syria

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkish and Russian troops have completed the 13th round of joint ground patrols in northern Syria under a deal reached in October, Turkey's Defense Ministry said.

“The thirteenth joint land patrol between Turkish and Russian units has been completed with UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] support in the eastern Euphrates as according to plan. A total of eight vehicles comprising of four from each side participated in the thirteenth joint land patrol along with UAVs in the Ayn al Arab sector,” the ministry said in a statement on Dec. 3.

“Turkish and Russian units patrolled an area of 56 km [34.7-mile] length and 7 km [4.3-mile] depth,” the statement added.

The first joint ground patrols, on Nov. 1, took place near Ras al-Ayn and Qamishli regions east of the Euphrates River.

The 12th patrol was carried out in Qamishli and Derik regions on Nov. 30.