Russian, Turkish Militaries Conclude Sixth Joint Patrol In Northwestern Syria

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) The Russian military police and Turkish armed forces completed a joint patrol of a new area in northeastern Syria, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The sixth joint patrol of the Russian military police and the Turkish armed forces completed the joint patrol of a new area of the Syrian-Turkish border in northeastern Syria," the statement said.

The joint patrol included eight units of military equipment � the Tigr and BTR-80 armored vehicles of the Russian military police and the Kirpi armored vehicles of the Turkish border service, as well as about 50 military personnel from both states.

The Russian military police's so-called Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle is monitoring the column's route of movement in real time.

On October 9, Turkey launched "Operation Peace Spring" in northeastern Syria targeting Kurdish militia, seen as terrorists by Ankara, and the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia). The move came days after US President Donald Trump abruptly decided to withdraw his country's troops from the region. Damascus has condemned the operation as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

On October 22, Turkey and Russia concluded a memorandum that details conditions for a peaceful withdrawal of the Kurdish forces to a distance of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the border with Turkey. The 10-point document envisions patrol missions carried out by the Russian military contingent in Syria and Turkish troops in order to ensure the implementation of the deal.