Second US-Turkish joint patrol in eastern Tal Abyad
Tal Abyad – North-Press Agency
Turkish armored vehicles have crossed the borders into the Syrian territories on Tuesday, to conduct the second joint patrol with the U.S. forces, which will roam a route of 30km at a depth up to 9km, in the proposed security mechanism in eastern Tal Abyad, northeastern Syria.
The route begins from the bordering village of Rafah, east of Tel Abyad 16km, and heads east towards villages in northern of the town of Soluk.
According to North-Press reporters, four U.S. armored vehicles headed to the Turkish territories to accompany another four Turkish armored vehicles, while 9 U.S. armored vehicles stopped on the international road, while the full patrol number reached 13 U.S. armored vehicles and 4 Turkish armored ones.
Earlier, the SDF had gradually withdrawn from the extended area between Tal Abyad (Gire Spi) and Ras al-Ain (Sere Kaniye), and handed over its military fortifications to the local milli councils of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, in which they have refilled the trenches in coordination with the Global Coalition.
The joint patrol will check the trenches that have been refilled along the 30-km route, across the villages of al-Khwaitla, Tal al-Nafraq and Qalaj, and then towards the main road of Tal Abyad, Omar Halul and Jendawi.
On September 8, the Turkish forces joined the U.S. forces in the first on-ground patrol on the Syrian-Turkish borders to implement the security mechanism agreement.
The Turkish armored vehicles checked the villages of Hashisheh, Guilan, Mushrifah al-Abbad, al-Rewaya and al-Mestareeha.
While first joint patrol checked the Syrian territories at a depth of 6km, consisting of six Turkish armored vehicles and four U.S. armored vehicles, in addition to two American minesweepers, checking the points from which the SDF had already withdrawn and refilled its trenches and fortifications points.
On September 15, brigadier-general Turner, the deputy commander of the special operations of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF—OIR) against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, met with the leadership of the Autonomous Administration, the civil and military councils of Tal Abyad to assess their joint ground patrols with the military council on one hand, and the first joint patrol with the Turkish army on the other.
While Tal Abyad Military Council had earlier told North-Press that the joint patrols will be in coordination with their forces which are deployed in the region in line with the security mechanism agreement, stressing that they formed Border Security Forces and that they are fully committed to the terms of the agreement at the same time.
The United States, Turkey and the SDF have had agreed on moving away People’s Protection Units (YPG) from the price security mechanism, according to statements by Amb. James Jeffrey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria.
The last batch of YPG and SDF moved away along with their heavy weapons from the border points with Turkey west of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) on August 24, to be replaced by the local Sere Kaniye Military Council.