Turkey and Russia Patrol Syrian Border Together

SEVIMLI, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and Russia launched joint patrols Friday in northeastern Syria, under a deal that halted a Turkish offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters who were forced to withdraw from the border area after Ankara's invasion.

The patrols will cover two sections, in the west and east of Turkey's operation zone in Syria, with a depth of 6 miles. Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters control the border towns of Tal Abyad, Ras al-Ayn and nearby villages. The deal on the patrols excludes the city of Qamishli, according to the ministry's statement on Tuesday.

Turkey's defense ministry tweeted on Friday that the patrols started in al-Darbasiyah region, with Turkish and Russian troops, armored vehicles and drones.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the joint patrol consists of nine military vehicles, including a Russian armored personnel carrier, and would cover a 68-mile route on Friday.

Turkey invaded northeastern Syria to push out Syrian Kurdish fighters. But the United States had partnered with the Syrian Kurdish fighters, their top allies in the war against the Islamic State. The relationship has strained ties between Washington and Ankara, who are nominally NATO allies.

After an abrupt and widely criticized decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from this part of Syria, the Kurdish forces approached the Syrian government and Russia for protection. Syrian government troops and Russian military police subsequently moved into areas along the border.

Two ceasefire agreements — brokered by the United States and Russia — slowed Turkey's operation to allow the Syrian Kurdish fighters to withdraw about 19 miles away from the border.

Russia told Turkey at the end of the 150-hour cease-fire on Tuesday that the Syrian Kurdish fighters were out of the strip of territory and out of the towns of Manbij and Tal Rifaat, west of the Euphrates River.

Also Friday, Turkey's defense ministry announced that a Turkish soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated on Thursday, bringing the Turkish military's death toll to 13 since the start Ankara's invasion in northeastern Syria on Oct. 9. Mortars fired from Syria during the early phases of the operation killed 21 civilians in Turkey.

Though the truce has mostly held, it has been marred by accusations of violations from both sides and occasional clashes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to resume the offensive if necessary.

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