Turkish and Russian soldiers in armoured vehicles have resumed joint ground patrols in northeastern Syria after operations were suspended last year for security reasons, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.
According to a statement carried by Reuters, the first joint ground patrol took place on Thursday, after a hiatus of nearly a year, east of the area covered by the operation codenamed “Source of Peace” in northeastern Syria. Four vehicles and 24 soldiers took part.
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In 2019, Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies launched military operations in northeastern Syria under the name “Operation Peace Source” with the aim of driving out the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
In the same year, Ankara and Moscow agreed to conduct joint patrols in the region under an agreement reached by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the joint ground patrols will continue in the near future. Their goal is to restore stability in northeastern Syria, ensure the security of Turkey’s borders and demonstrate Turkish-Russian cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
joint military patrols
Meanwhile, the ministry in Ankara did not explain why the joint patrols were suspended in October last year. In total, since 2019, Turkey and Russia have conducted 344 joint military patrols in northeastern Syria.
The main goal of Erdogan’s “Operation Peace Source” was to push the Kurds 30 kilometers away from the Turkish border and create so-called “Operation Peace Source” safety zones.
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