Turkish and US forces have begun the joint patrol mission in the Manbij region of northern Syria, Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has said.
Referring to the east of the Euphrates, Akar had said, “It is going to be our next area of work”.
Stating that the training period has been completed, Akar added, “Joint patrol will take start soon.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also stated on October 30 that an extensive operation would be launched against the YPG forces in the east of the Euphrates River.
On June 20, the US army spokesperson in charge of the operations in Syria had said that “Turkish troops will not enter inside the Manbij [city center].”
Joint patrol
In an agreement reached as part of the ‘Manbij Roadmap and Manbij Security Principles’ between Turkey and the US for security to be maintained in the region and YPG to withdraw from Manbij in northern Syria, it was announced that the two countries would carry out ‘joint patrol’ mission. The joint training for this purpose started in October.
The two NATO allies had been carrying out coordinated but independent patrols in Manbij in northern Syria so far as part of the ‘roadmap’.
