The mission began in the vicinity of al-Darbasiyah on Friday.

Footage from the scene shows a massive convoy of military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and mine-resistant trucks – from both Russia and Turkey – driving through the Syrian countryside.

Russia has deployed its military police for the job, while Turkey has apparently sent in border guards.

The deployment was agreed during a meeting between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on October 22. The goal of the joint patrols is to maintain security within a ‘safe zone’ along the Turkish-Syrian border.

Creation of the ‘safe zone’ was the stated goal of a Turkish mission in northeastern Syria, dubbed ‘Operation Peace Spring,’ which kicked off early this month. The campaign targeted Kurdish-led militias, considered to be “terrorists” by Ankara, who were in control of this part of Syria.

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