Russia, Turkey begin second joint patrol mission in Syria

Moscow, Nov 5 (IANS) Russian military policemen and Turkish border guards have began their second joint patrol mission in Syria near the border with Turkey, the Russian Defence Ministry said Tuesday.The joint patrol is taking place along a new route near the Syrian-Turkish border, passing through large settlements of Bandar Khan and Shiuh-Faukani, the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said.A total of 50 personnel from both sides will participate in the mission using Russian Tiger and Turkish Kirpi armoured vehicles, it said, reports Xinhua news agency.Real-time monitoring of column movement is provided by the Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Russian military police, Zvezda said.The patrols are part of a memorandum signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 22 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.Russian military police, in cooperation with Syrian and Turkish border guards, will also provide assistance in ensuring public safety and law enforcement, as well as monitoring the withdrawal of the Kurdish self defence units and their weapons to a 30-km distance from the border, Zvezda said.
--IANS rt/