Turkey, Russia conduct 6th joint patrol in Idlib, Syria

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish and Russian forces carried out their sixth joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Syria on Tuesday.

"Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 6th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements," Turkey’s Defense Ministry said in a tweet.

The M4 highway, also known as the Aleppo-Al Hasakah road, is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Turkey's southern border.

Last month, Ankara and Moscow agreed on a protocol urging parties to "cease all military actions along the line of contact in the Idlib de-escalation area” starting on March 6.

Joint Turkish-Russian patrols agreed in the deal also began on March 15 along the M4 highway from the settlement of Trumba -- two kilometers (1.2 miles) to the west of Saraqib -- to the settlement of Ain al-Havr.

Idlib has long been under siege by the Assad regime forces and its allies, and previous cease-fires for the region were repeatedly violated.

Turkey has been working to protect the local civilian population in the area and rid the wider region of terrorist elements.