The Russian military is patrolling between Turkish and Kurdish forces, halting a Turkish advance into northern Syria launched after U.S. soldiers pulled out of the area.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that its military police are patrolling “along the line of contact between the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkey,” according to the Washington Post. The Russian forces are based out of Manbij, a city in northern Syria that previously housed U.S. forces.
Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russian and Syrian forces have moved to stay Turkey’s advance into Syria after Kurdish forces struck an agreement with Assad’s government. The Kurds agreed to surrender border security to the Syrian government while maintaining some of their local governing structures, according to Kurdish officials.
Turkey launched its attack on northern Syria aiming to take out Kurdish forces after U.S. forces began pulling out of the area on Oct. 6. President Trump ordered the remainder of U.S. troops out of the region on Sunday.
The Turkish government views the Kurds as terrorists for their connections to separatists that have fought against Turkey for an independent state.
The Kurdish forces in northern Syria had partnered with the United States to fight ISIS and tamp out efforts to rebuild the terrorist state.
Trump has condemned Turkish aggression and pledged to impose new sanctions on Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
