Russian military police have begun patrolling around the Syrian city of Manbij, a spokesman said Tuesday, moving into an area once held by US-backed Kurdish forces.
Russian forces are acting in support of Syrian Army troops who recently deployed around Manbij, in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey.
Kurdish fighters, fearing a Turkish military assault, invited Army forces to Manbij late last month after US President Donald Trump’s shock announcement of a full American withdrawal from Syria.
Speaking in a report on Rossiya 24 television, Russian military police spokesman Yusup Mamatov said MPs had started patrolling “the security zone around Manbij”.
“The task is to ensure security in the area of responsibility (and) to monitor the situation and movements of armed formations,” Mamatov said.
The report said Russian military police would be deployed in the area “on a regular basis”.
Source: AFP
