The Turkish and Russian forces on Thursday conducted a joint military patrol in Syria's Hasakah province while reports claimed that Ankara was establishing a military base in northern Raqqa.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) cited sources as reporting that four Turkish vehicles and four Russian ones "set off from Sherik crossing on Turkey border in the west of Al-Darbasiyyah and toured the villages of Dalek, Malak, Zahr Al-Arab and Kasra in Zarkan countryside."
Escorted by two Russian helicopters, the patrol later "headed to the south-western countryside of Al-Darbasiyyah and took Al-Hasakah-Al-Darbasiyyah highway to the city’s southern part and Al-Ghanamiyyah area in the west, then it returned to Sherik."
SOHR has said Turkish forces were setting up a new military base near the M4 road west of Ain Issa area in northern Raqqa province.
According to Observatory sources, Turkish forces are now stationed at five military bases near the M4 road: Kaffifa, Ain Rummana, Tina and Al-Rab’ea on the road between Ain Issa and Istirahat saqr, and the last one in western Ain Issa town.
On October 21, the war-monitor reported that Turkish-backed factions were bringing in military reinforcement to Tel Abyad and Ain Issa countryside.
Meanwhile, the US Army is building a new military base in the town of Baghouz (located in Abu Kamal District, Deir Ezzor), which was the last ISIS stronghold before it was defeated in March.
A high-ranked officer said that the first step in establishing the base was equipping a helipad to secure logistical supplies for the base. The US Army deployed the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to a number of points around the under-construction base to protect it, he added.
This brings the total of US Army military sites to nine, four of them are in Deir Ezzor while five are in the Hasakah countryside.
A prominent officer from SDF deemed these reinforcements as a direct message to Russia to abide by the de-escalation rules agreed upon between the two parties. It is also a message to the countries in the region that are active players in the Syrian war, such as Iran, to abstain from provocative actions in the northeast of Syria.
