The first day of Turkish and Russian joint patrols in northern Syria under a deal reached last month to clear the area of terrorists that began on Friday is over.
The joint patrol in north Syria is over after four hours, carried out 40 km east of Ras al Ayn and 30 km west of Qamishli, say military sources.
Over 400 IEDs, a bomb-loaded truck and a bomb-making plant belonging to the YPG/PKK have been destroyed, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.
Over one ton of ammonium nitrate, which is used to make bombs, was seized in Tal Abyad. Mortar ammunition, numerous grenades, 75 rockets were also detected, the ministry added.
On October 22, Turkey and Russia reached a deal under which YPG/PKK terrorists would pull back 30 kilometres south of Turkey’s border with northern Syria within 150 hours and security forces from Turkey and Russia would conduct joint patrols there.
The 150-hour period ended on Tuesday.
The deal came after Turkey launched anti-terror Operation Peace Spring on October 9 to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
The YPG/PYD is the Syrian offshoot of PKK.
First Turkish-Russian joint patrols with ground and air units are underway east of Ad Darbasiyah in NE Syria as agreed between Turkish and Russian presidents in Sochi on 22 October. pic.twitter.com/daFWbPahx2
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) November 1, 2019
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