Turkiye, Russia resume joint patrols in northern Syria

Turkiye and Russia have resumed joint ground patrols in northern Syria, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said Friday. "Until Oct. 5, 2023, 344 joint ground patrol activities had been conducted. However, patrol activities were halted due to the security situation in the region," the ministry announced in a statement. "The joint ground patrol activity conducted by Turkiye and the Russian Federation has been resumed on Aug. 22, 2024, with 4 vehicles (2 Pars, 2 Kirpi-2) and 24 personnel participating in the eastern part of the Operation Peace Spring zone," the ministry said in a statement The joint ground patrol, according to the statement, are conducted in the Peace Spring Operation Area's west and east in accordance with the Sochi agreement signed between Ankara and Moscow on Oct. 22, 2019. The first such joint ground patrol activity was carried out on November 1, 2019. "The purpose of continuing the joint ground patrol activities is to ensure the security of our country's borders and the civilian pop ulation in the region and establish stability in northern Syria." "(It also aims) to identify control points, headquarters, and military structures belonging to the PKK/YPG-SDF terrorist organization that must exit the region according to the agreements Turkiye made with the US and the Russian Federation, and to display Turkish-Russian cooperation in combating terrorism," added the statement. Source: Kuwait News Agency