Russian-Turkish patrol in Idlib shortens its path on M4 after being targeted

North-Press Agency

A day after a Turkish convoy was targeted in the Idlib countryside, on Thursday, Russian and Turkish forces conducted a joint patrol on the M4 highway, taking only half of the time it usually takes to complete the patrol.

This patrol is the thirteenth of its kind, starting from the village of Tarnabeh in the southeastern of Idlib countryside, passing by Neirab town towards the town of Ariha.

The joint patrol, accompanied by Russian aircraft, started from Tarnabeh town west of Saraqib, reaching Kafr Shlaya village west of Ariha, without reaching Mhambel village, which is its last stop.

 A field source told North-Press that the patrol went out an hour before its scheduled departure time, and this time it did not take the same time as before, patrolling for only half an hour.

The source added, "The patrol has crossed 25 km of the agreed path, returning to its starting point."

On Wednesday, yesterday, a Turkish convoy was targeted by a mine near al-Ghassaniyeh village on the M4 highway, causing two injuries among the Turkish forces, one of which was an officer. This is in addition to several injuries in the ranks of the National Front for Liberation, after which a Turkish helicopter intervened to transport the injured to Turkey.

On May 12th, a joint Russian-Turkish patrol was fired upon and subjected to stone-throwing on the M4 highway before returning to the departure point in Tarnabeh town in the southeastern Idlib countryside.

Two days later, a group of people on the outskirts of Ariha interrupted a joint Russian-Turkish patrol on the M4, which returned to its starting point. It is unknown whether the individuals were civilians or members of opposition groups.