Russian military police officers have conducted their first patrolling of Syria's northeastern city of Manbij, driving infantry mobility vehicles Tigr, Russian Military Police officer Safar Safarov said on Wednesday, just one day after the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Syrian army had taken full control of the city and the Russian military was patrolling Manbij borders along the contact line between Syrian and Turkish forces
DAMASCUS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) Russian military police officers have conducted their first patrolling of Syria's northeastern city of Manbij, driving infantry mobility vehicles Tigr, Russian Military Police officer Safar Safarov said on Wednesday, just one day after the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Syrian army had taken full control of the city and the Russian military was patrolling Manbij borders along the contact line between Syrian and Turkish forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said on Tuesday that the US military had left its bases in Dadat and Umm-Mial, located to the northwest of Manbij.
"Our patrol was driving the streets of this city for the first time ever. Military activities cease immediately at the sight of the Russian flag, as neither Turks nor Kurds want to affect us. So, fighting stops thanks to our efforts. Just one week ago we could not travel to Manbij openly and demonstrate our flag there, as US servicemen, present at two military bases, opposed us all the time, intercepting us on the road due to different understanding of areas of responsibility," Safarov told reporters.
The patrolling lasted for over three hours, Safarov added.
"We will continue controlling our area of responsibility. Our main task is to ensure safety of the locals if any side starts a shelling. This is not our first task here, as we have been working here for over six months, and we have never experienced any problems with anyone," Safarov added.
Manbij, which used to be a stronghold of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia), was liberated by US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units in 2016.
Ankara has long pledged to launch an offensive against Kurdish militias, which it labels as terrorist, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River as well as in Manbij, if the United States does not remove the Kurdish militia from there. On October 9, Turkey started the Operation Peace Spring, aimed at freeing a stretch of the border area from Kurdish fighters.
