Syrian troops begin deploying along border with Turkey

Syrian government forces started deploying today in areas close to the Turkish border in the country’s northeast as part of an agreement reached between Russia and Turkey, state media reports.

News agency SANA says troops are deploying between the towns of Jawadiyeh and Malkiyeh, also known as Derik, while state-run TV says Syrian border guards will be positioned at six points near to the frontier.

Illustrative: Syrian government soldiers ride in the back of a truck with national flags as they deploy for the first time in the eastern countryside of the city of Qamishli in the northeastern Hasakah province on November 5, 2019. (Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

The deployment is part of a ceasefire deal brokered by Moscow last month along much of the northeastern border that seeks to clear the area of the Kurdish fighters who were key US allies in the fight against the Islamic State group. Since the agreement was reached, Russia and Turkey began joint patrols along a narrower strip directly on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Turkey began a major military offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria last month, capturing dozens of towns and villages.

— AP