First joint patrol of the Russian military police and Turkish border guards started patrolling of the Syrian-Turkish border at noon on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The patrolling, which began at the Derbisiya point of transition, spans more than 110km westward along the border between Turkey and Syria. The patrol includes nine armed vehicles of the Russian and Turkish military.

Turkish military sources also told Reuters that the joint patrolling had begun.

Moscow and Ankara had agreed to conduct joint patrols under a deal struck by presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish president said on Wednesday the patrols would be at a depth of 7km (4 miles) in Syrian territory.