Turkish, Russian forces conduct 7th joint patrol in Syria’s Idlib
Turkey and Russia carry out the seventh joint patrols in Syria’s Idlib province under the agreement reached in March, April 30, 2020. (İHA Photo)
Turkish and Russian forces conducted the seventh joint patrol along the key M4 highway in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry announced Thursday.
“Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 7th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements,” the ministry said on Twitter.
The M4 highway, also known as the Aleppo-Al Hasakah road, is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Turkey’s southern border. The sixth joint patrol was carried out on Tuesday.
Last month, Ankara and Moscow agreed on a protocol urging parties to “cease all military actions along the line of contact in the Idlib de-escalation area” starting on March 6.
The protocol said joint Turkish-Russian patrols would begin on March 15 along the M4 highway from the settlement of Trumba – 2 kilometers to the west of Saraqib – to the settlement of Ain al-Havr.
Idlib has long been under siege by Assad regime forces and its allies, and previous cease-fires for the region were plagued by violations.
Turkey has been working to protect the local civilian population as well as rid the wider region of terrorist elements.
Source:dailysabah.com