Russia, Turkey embark on seventh joint patrol in northeast Syria

Military & Defense November 16, 2019, 12:44

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the patrol consists from a total of about 50 servicemen from both states and eight military vehicles

MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. The seventh joint Russian-Turkish patrol of the Russian military police and Turkish Armed Forces began operations near the Syrian community of Qamishli in the northeast of the country, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Saturday.

"The joint patrol is conducted on the route that start from a customs checkpoint at the community of Deirun-Aga," the statement reads. "A total of about 50 servicemen from both states and eight military vehicles - Tigr armored cars and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers of the Russian military police and Kirpi armored vehicles of the Turkish border service - are taking part in the patrol."

A Russian Orlan-10 drone is monitoring the convoy’s movement, while Russian helicopters are conducting air patrolling of the region.

On October 9, Turkey launched a military incursion into northern Syria, codenaming it Operation Peace Spring. The goal of the military campaign is to create a buffer zone there, which is going to serve as a security belt for Turkey’s border. On October 22, Moscow and Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding consisting of 10 items, in particular the deployment of Russian military police and Syrian border service units to the Syrian side of the border with Turkey beyond the zone of Operation Peace Spring. According to this deal, they are to facilitate the withdrawal of the Kurdish units 30 km from the Syrian-Turkish border.

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