- Title: Russian forces consolidate three key areas in Syria
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: ZOG MAGAR, SYRIA (AS SEEN FROM KARKAMIS, TURKEY) (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RUSSIAN AND SYRIAN FLAGS WAVING OVER ZOG MAGAR VILLAGE
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 14:10
- Keywords: Russian military police Syria Kobani Kurdish YPG forces Turkey military convoy Syrian Democratic Forces
- Location: KOBANI AND MANBIJ, SYRIA / ZOG MAGAR, SYRIA (AS SEEN FROM KARKAMIS, TURKEY)
- City: KOBANI AND MANBIJ, SYRIA / ZOG MAGAR, SYRIA (AS SEEN FROM KARKAMIS, TURKEY)
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA002B2BK6DJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russian military police arrived in the strategic Syrian city of Kobani on Wednesday (October 23) as Moscow warned Kurdish YPG forces that they face further armed conflict with Turkey if they fail to withdraw from Syria's entire northeastern border.
Video footage also showed military vehicles donning Russian flags driving through the northern Syrian town of Manbij while both Russian and Syrian flags were seen on top of buildings in Zog Magar village near the Euphrates river.
The police arrival marks the start of a period when Russian and Syrian security forces will oversee the removal of YPG fighters at least 30 km (19 miles) into Syria, under the deal struck by presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan.
A complete pullout of the YPG would mark a victory for Erdogan, who launched a cross-border offensive on Oct. 9 to drive the Syrian Kurdish militia from the border and create a "safe zone" for the return of Syrian refugees.
Kobani is of special significance to the Kurdish fighters, who fought off Islamic State militants trying to seize the city in 2014-15 in one of the fiercest battles of Syria's civil war.
(Production: Dato Chkhikvishvilli, Muath Freij, Soraya Ali) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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