ANKARA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkey said Tuesday that it would start joint patrols with Russia in northern Syria after the cease-fire with Kurdish fighters expired.
"Turkey and Russia had set a 150-hour deadline for YPG (People's Protection Units) terrorists to leave the safe zone. The time is up," tweeted Fahrettin Altun, the communication director of Turkish presidency.
Turkey will establish joint patrols, whether or not the Kurdish YPG members have withdrawn, he added.
Ankara sees the YPG as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey.
The deadline ended just after a Russian military delegation finished two-day talks with their Turkish counterparts in Ankara on Tuesday to discuss the implementation of planned patrols under the framework of the Turkey-Russia deal.
Following the U.S. pullout of its troops from northern Syria, Turkish armed forces launched an incursion into Syria earlier in October in a bid to drive Kurdish fighters out of the area to establish a safe zone along the Turkey-Syria border.
Under the U.S.-Turkey deal reached on Oct. 17 on a five-day truce, Turkey agreed to halt its military operation to pave the way for the withdrawal of YPG fighters from the safe zone.
Turkey and Russia later agreed to give the YPG fighters another 150 hours to withdraw 30 km away from the Turkish border area.
After the withdrawal of Kurdish forces, joint Turkey-Russia patrols will start in the zone.
