ISTANBUL/MANBIJ, Syria: Turkish and U.S. forces started joint patrols in the Manbij region of northern Syria on Thursday, Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Manbij, about 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, has been a source of friction between Ankara and Washington since Kurdish forces took part of the region in a U.S.-backed offensive that drove Islamic State out of Manbij city in 2016.
Turkish and U.S. forces have been carrying out coordinated but independent patrols near Manbij since June.
A Reuters witness saw a convoy of six military vehicles, some flying the U.S. flag and others flying the Turkish flag, underway on Thursday about 20 km from Manbij city.
Turkey, which views the dominant Syrian Kurdish groups as a threat to its national security, had threatened military action against Manbij earlier this year. Then in June it agreed a plan with the United States under which the two countries would jointly maintain security and stability there.
Shortly afterwards, the Kurdish YPG militia announced the withdrawal of its military advisers from the city.
The patrols are taking place along the dividing line between territory controlled by the Manbij Military Council, which is allied to the YPG-dominated and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and a Turkish-controlled area in northern Syria.
(Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul, Rodi Said near Manbij and Tom Perry and Lisa Barrington in Beirut Editing by Dominic Evans, Gareth Jones and David Stamp)
