To establish a safe zone east of the Euphrates in northern Syria, Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and U.S. personnel conducted the first joint ground patrol as planned,” the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Twitter. The first joint ground patrol consisted of two phases, organization and operation. The patrols were the first phase of the safe zone plan. After organizing the patrol plan, the forces headed to Tal Abyad, Syria, located some 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) west for the second phase.
Following observations, the joint convoy proceeded south. The patrol started at around 10 a.m. local time and was completed after three hours. The patrol was supported by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters.
The TSK dispatched six armored vehicles, which joined the U.S. military convoy 30 kilometers from the Akçakale border town of Turkey’s southeastern Şanlıurfa province. On Aug. 7, Turkey agreed with U.S. military officials to set up a safe zone and develop a “peace corridor” running from the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border to facilitate the return of displaced Syrians currently living in Turkey to their home country and provide security for Turkish border settlements and military outposts. They also agreed to establish a joint operations center.
Speaking in eastern province of Malatya, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Saturday the U.S. to end its indecisive policy regarding the safe zone. “While Turkey is determined to remove the terrorist group, they are making plans to straddle both us and them. It seems that they are willing to establish a safe zone for the terrorist group,” Erdoğan said.
“If the safe zone in the east of Euphrates with our own soldiers will not be established by the end of September, we will have no choice but to go its own way,” the president warned. “This is not something to be completed by three or five helicopter flights, five or ten vehicle patrols, the presence of a couple of soldiers in the region only for show. We must bring the whole region with its cities and rural areas to a safe status to settle one million people there,” Erdoğan said.
