Turkey-Russia patrols begin

Joint op to verify withdrawal of Kurdish forces from key zone in Syria

DERBASIYEH (Syria): Turkey started joint patrols with Russia in northern Syria to verify whether Kurdish forces have withdrawn from a key border zone in compliance with a deal reached between Ankara and Moscow.

It follows an agreement they signed in the Black Sea resort of Sochi last week which gave Kurdish forces 150 hours to withdraw from a band of territory along Syria’s border with Turkey, in a process that Russia said was now complete.

The patrols on Friday add to the complicated mix of forces operating along the frontier, including US troops who inspected an eastern section on Thursday for the first time since US President Donald Trump said last month his country was withdrawing.

They began near the border town of Derbasiyeh – from which Kurdish fighters have already pulled out – and lasted around four hours, an AFP correspondent on the Turkish side of the border reported.

The soldiers had headed to the east of Derbasiyeh in a convoy of Turkish and Russian military vehicles to patrol a strip of territory several dozen kilometres long, according to Turkish military sources.

The Russian army said in a statement that the convoy consisted of nine vehicles, protected by an armoured personnel carrier, covering more than 110km.

Turkey intends to set up a “safe zone” 30km deep, in which some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees it is hosting could be resettled.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he would “consider the proposal”, stressing the need for the “voluntary, safe and dignified” return of refugees, during a visit to Istanbul on Friday where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Last week’s Sochi agreement between Ankara and Moscow halted a Turkish operation launched against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria on Oct 9, which left hundreds dead and prompted tens of thousands to flee their homes.

Under the deal, Turkey is to assume control over one 120km wide section in the centre of the border, while Syrian government forces are to deploy to the east and west.

Along the whole length of the border, a 10km deep buffer zone is to be created on the Syrian side which will be jointly patrolled by Russian and Turkish troops.