Turkish, Russian troops complete tenth joint patrols in N Syria

ANKARA

Turkey and Russia have completed their tenth joint patrol in northeastern Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry has announced.

"Turkish and Russian units have completed their tenth joint land patrol according to plan in the Ras Al-Ayn – Qamishli sector east of the Euphrates, with four vehicles each and accompanying UAVs," the ministry said in a tweet.

The two countries begun joint land patrols on Nov. 1, following an Oct. 22 deal between Turkey and Russia over the former’s “Operation Peace Spring” against the presence of the YPG troops across its borders.

Russian troops accompanied with the Syrian border guards have filled the void left by the withdrawal of the U.S. troops in northeastern Syria except for around a 120-kilometer-long strip of the border between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.

Turkey and Russia conduct joint patrols in areas outside this region under the control of the Turkish troops along with the Free Syrian Army (FSA).