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Russian, Turkish military begin second joint patrol in northeastern Syria

The joint patrol will follow a new route west and east of the customs checkpoint Ailishar along the Syrian-Turkish border

MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that a second joint patrol mission by Russian military police and Turkey’s border guard service has begun in another border area several kilometers north of Kobani in Syria.

Earlier, the NTV channel said Russian and Turkish military personnel had begun a second joint patrol east of the Euphrates, northeastern Syria, and showed the joint military convoy on the route.

"Starting from 12:20 of November 5, 2019 a second joint patrol of the Russian military police and Turkish border guard service has begun a mission in another border area several kilometers north of Kobani," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to the Russian military, the joint patrol will follow a new route west and east of the customs checkpoint Ailishar along the Syrian-Turkish border. The route more than 160 kilometers long will go through Bandar Khan and Shiuh Faukani.

"The military will patrol the route on armored vehicles Tigr of the Russian military police and Kirpi armored vehicles of the Turkish border guard service. The patrol on the route will consist of eight vehicles and 50 military from both countries," the Russian Defense Ministry said. An unmanned aerial vehicle Orlan-10 will monitor the convoy’s movement.

On October 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi to agree on a memorandum on joint operations to control the situation in northeastern Syria. Under the arrangement Russian military police and Syrian border guards on the noon of October 23 were moved into areas bordering on Turkey’s 30-kilometer wide security zone. The Kurds, as it was announced, had completed the pullback of their forces by October 29. On November 1, the Russian and Turkish military carried out the first joint patrol east of the Euphrates.