Third U.S.-Turkish ground joint patrol in north-eastern Syria

The third on-ground joint patrol between the U.S. and Turkish forces have started this morning in the village of Rafah, 16km to the east of Tal Abyad, in the framework of checking on trenches filled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), ahead to withdrawing from the area of which “security mechanism” was agreed upon to be established.

The Turkish armored vehicles entered via the border wall, to inspect the SDF fortifications and trenches, where the area was handed over to Tal Abyad Military Council.
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The range of the third ground joint patrol will be 45km, starting from Rafah village and ending in Muhaisnah village near the town of Sulouk, east of Tal Abyad. The joint patrol consists of 4 Turkish armored vehicles and 4 of the U.S., according to a military source told North-Press.

The military source confirmed that the Turkish armored vehicles this time will enter at a depth of 6km inside the Syrian territories in coordination with the U.S. forces, who had earlier supervised the process of filling the trenches and destroying the fortifications after the withdrawal of the SDF.

Earlier on September 24, the second joint U.S.-Turkish patrol, which consisted of 4 Turkish armored vehicles and 13 U.S. armored vehicles, was conducted on a rang of 30-km-long and 9-km-depth track, along the villages of Khuweitla, Tal al-Nafraq, Qlaj, Omar Haluol and Jendawi. As the SDF had withdrawn, in batches, from the area between Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain, and handed over its military postd to local forces from the military councils of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, which in turn filled the trenches in coordination with the U.S.-led Global Coalition.

Moreover, on September 8, the U.S. forces along with the Turkish forces had conducted the first joint ground patrol on the Syrian-Turkish borders under the “security mechanism” agreement, where the Turkish armored vehicles checked the villages of al-Hashisha, Ghweilan, Mushrfat al-Abad, al-Rawaya and al-Mistriha. While the first joint four U.S. armored vehicles and six Turkish armored vehicles patrol entered the Syrian territories at a depth of 6km, accompanied with two U.S. Army’s minesweepers, as they checked the points from which the SDF had withdrawn, and filled its trenches and fortifications.

On September 15, Brigadier Turner, the deputy commander of the special forces for operation of Combined Joint Task Force- Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) which is conducted by the U.S.-led Global Coalition against ISIS, met with Tal Abyad Civil and Military Councils to assess their joint ground patrols on one hand, and the first joint patrol with the Turkish army on the other. While Tal Abyad Military Council Command had earlier told North-Press that the joint patrols will be in coordination with their forces, which were deployed in the region in accordance with the “security mechanism” agreement, affirming at the same time that they formed forces for borders security, stressing their full commitment to terms of the security mechanism agreement.

Furthermore, Turkey’s Defense Minister said that his country’s troops would begin joint patrols with the U.S. forces in the area agreed upon to establish a “security mechanism” on the 8th of September. The United States, Turkey and the SDF have also agreed on a “security mechanism” from which People’s Protection Units (YPG) will be evacuated, according to statements by the U.S. special envoy to Syria Amb. James Jeffrey, last month.

Therefore, the first batch of YPG and SDF forces along with their heavy weapons had formally withdrawn from the bordering points with Turkey west of Ras al-Ain on the 24th of August, to be replaced by Ras al-Ain Military Council in implementation of the “security mechanism” agreement.

The Turkish president continues his threats to start a military assault in northeastern Syria, in case of Washington’s “stalling” in implementing the security mechanism agreement.