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FILE IMAGE: Russian Military Police service members are in Syria
The Russian Military Police expanded its patrols in the area located south of the Turkish-occupied Afrin on October 6, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The London-based monitoring group reported that the patrols moved between the city of Tell Rifaat and the district of Shirawa in southern Afrin.
“There is still not information on why the Russians have intensified their patrols there,” the SOHR’s report reads.
The area, in which the Russian patrols took place, is controlled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). Several units of the Russian Military Police were deployed in the area a few years ago.
The Afrin Liberation Forces (ALF) and several other Kurdish guerrilla groups launch attacks on Turkish forces from the YPG-SAA area on a regular basis.
While the reason behind these patrols are yet ot be revealed, Russian forces may be attempting to de-escalate tensions in the region. Few days ago, the ALF attacked Turkish military posts in a nearby area with guided missiles.
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