Turkish, Russian forces hold 7th joint patrol in Syria
Patrol conducted along key M4 highway, in line with protocol agreed by Ankara, Moscow
Turkish and Russian forces conducted the seventh joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Syria, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said 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 km (1.2 miles) 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 worked to protect the local civilian population as well as rid the wider region of terrorist elements.
