Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar
Joint patrols by Turkish and U.S. forces in Syria’s Manbij are imminent, Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday.
"The training process has been completed and joint patrols will begin today or tomorrow," he said
The patrols are part of a roadmap established between Turkey and the U.S. in June that focuses on the withdrawal of forces of the PKK’s Syrian affiliate YPG to stabilize the city, which is in the Aleppo province.
Turkey and the United States have completed preparations for joint patrols in northern Syria’s Manbij area, Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said on Monday.
Turkish and U.S. forces participated in a training program that included rehearsals of mounted patrol operations, weapons training, IED procedures, vehicle recovery, stabilizing traffic control points and situation de-escalation exercises.
A suspect on Tuesday was arrested on Turkey's border with Syria over links to the PYD/PKK terrorist group.Acting on a tip off, Turkish security forces captured the suspect who was trying to enter Turkey through the district of Ceylanpinar in Sanliurfa province.The suspect was captured unarmed and taken into custody for further investigation.Five terrorists neutralized in N. Iraq, southeast TurkeyTurkey neutralizes 1,451 PKK terrorists in a yearTwo PKK terrorists 'neutralized' in southeast Turkey
PYD/PKK suspect arrested on Turkey-Syria border
East of Euphrates to follow
After Manbij, Turkey will target terror hotspots east of the Euphrates, Akar said.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on Sunday bombed positions belonging to terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River in Syria.
Artillery shells were fired at the YPG-occupied Zour Magyar to the west of northern Syria's Ayn al-Arab region and was aimed at preventing terrorist activities.
The Turkish, Iranian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers gathered in Istanbul on Tuesday for their sixth trilateral meeting.Speaking at a joint press conference afterwards, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said there is no problem in implementation of the Sochi agreement for Idlib, Syria reached last month between Turkey and Russia."Right now, there is no problem regarding implementation of this memorandum," he said.He said two roads in Syria -- one connecting Aleppo to Hama and another connecting Aleppo to Latakia -- will be opened by the end of the year.PYD/PKK suspect arrested on Turkey-Syria border"Everything is on track right now," Çavuşoğlu said.He said if terror groups or radical groups in Syria try to step over the line, Turkey will be the first to intervene, before anyone else.Çavuşoğlu added that besides Turkey and Russia, Iran is the country that has supported and contributed the most to the process leading to the Sochi agreement.After a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in Syria’s Idlib province.Turkey, US finalize steps for joint patrols in ManbijUnder the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will carry out joint patrols in the area to prevent a resumption of fighting.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Video: Trilateral Turkey-Azerbaijan-Iran FMs meeting in IstanbulKremlin says Turkey is fulfilling obligationsRussia confirms that Turkey is making great efforts to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib, a Kremlin spokesperson said Tuesday.We do not see a threat of violation for the Russian-Turkish memorandum in this Syrian province, Dmitry Peskov told journalists during a daily conference-call in Moscow."Unfortunately, not everything goes according to the plan -- or, according to the ideal plan that was worked out," Peskov said."But, as [President Vladimir] Putin said, we accept it understandingly, because indeed the situation there is extremely difficult," he added.Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Turkey says Idlib deal going as planned, no issue in implementation
Turkey and the United States have completed preparations for joint patrols in northern Syria’s Manbij area, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.The patrols are part of a roadmap between Turkey and the U.S. that focuses on the withdrawal of forces of the PKK’s Syrian affiliate YPG to stabilize the city, which is in Aleppo province."Mission rehearsals and interoperability training for combined patrols outside Manbij city are complete," said Cmdr. Sean Robertson. "Both forces are resetting in order to begin combined patrols."Without providing an exact date, Robertson said the rehearsals were grounded in synchronizing Turkish and American forces' ability to conduct patrols outside of Manbij."The mission rehearsals address safety and familiarizations with combined tactical operations," he said.The training program included rehearsals of mounted patrol operations, weapons training, IED procedures, vehicle recovery, stabilizing traffic control points and situation de-escalation exercises.Another spokesperson for the Pentagon, Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner, said the patrols "should be in shortly."A defense official, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency that the patrols are expected to begin in "a couple of days" or in "less than a week".Political experts applaud Istanbul summit on SyriaTurkish forces shell PKK terrorist positions east of Euphrates in Syria
Turkey, US finalize steps for joint patrols in Manbij
Idlib demilitarized zone
Recalling the Sept. 17 deal on Syria's Idlib province, signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Akar said: “As a result of this, radicals and weapons in a 15-20 kilometer corridor were removed.”
Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing renewed fighting.
“There will be [Turkish-Russian] joint patrols. So, a peace environment will be established and 3.5 million people will be able to live there,” he said.