Turkey, Russia resume joint patrols in northeast Syria, Turkish ministry says

Turkish and Russian troops in armoured vehicles have resumed joint ground patrols in northeast Syria after operations were halted last year for security reasons, Turkey's defence ministry said on Friday.

The joint ground patrol was relaunched on Thursday into the east of the "Operation Peace Spring" zone in northeast Syria, involving four vehicles and 24 personnel, the statement said.

The ministry did not elaborate on the security issues that halted joint patrol operations in October last year. A total of 344 joint patrols had been conducted in the area since 2019, the ministry said.

In 2019, Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies began military operations in northeast Syria, dubbed "Operation Peace Spring", aiming to drive back Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

That year, Ankara and Moscow agreed to conduct joint patrols in the region under a deal struck by President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Joint ground patrols will continue in the near future to establish stability in northeast Syria, ensure security of Turkey's borders and demonstrate Turkish-Russian cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the defence ministry said. 

(Reuters)