Turkey ended its military operation in northeast Syria after Ankara and Moscow agreed on a deal that required the withdrawal of the YPG 30 km south from territories along a 444 km strip of the Turkish-Syrian border.
“At the moment we assess that the YPG terrorists have to a large extent left this area, but some might be present as sleeping, hidden,” Akar said.
The minister said attacks from the YPG had been continuing both on the east and west of the Euphrates River. “We are trying to end this again by meeting, talking with Russians,” he said.
Akar said Russia had informed Turkey on Oct. 29 that 34,000 YPG militants with more than 3,200 heavy weapons had been removed from the territories covered by the deal. “Contradicting findings are being discussed with the Russian Federation,” Akar said.
Turkey and Russia started joint patrols along the border earlier this month. Turkey also made a separate agreement with the United States for the withdrawal of the YPG from an area between northeastern Syrian towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al Ayn where Turkey aims to resettle a portion 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.