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In Syria, Russian forces continue their deployment on the Turkish border following the agreement reached on Tuesday between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi.
The Turks announced the suspension of their offensive and the majority Kurdish Democratic Forces withdrew, but the area is still extremely militarized. Moscow, ally of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, announced the deployment of additional troops.
If Turkey has kept control of the territory between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, it is the Russians who are monitoring most of this 440-kilometer border area.
To the west, Russian flags float near the town of Kobane, and east in the desert areas around Qamishli. On this vast perimeter, the Russian patrols therefore needed reinforcement. And it's done. On Friday, Moscow announced the deployment of 300 additional troops from Chechnya, accompanied by some 20 armored vehicles recently landed at the Russian air base Hmeymim.
The origin of these soldiers may surprise, but this is not the first time that in Syria, Moscow is calling on Chechen, Sunni Muslims, like the majority of the Syrian people. In 2016, these elite troops had supported the Russian air force during the siege of the city of Aleppo alongside forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.
Moreover, another show of force took place Friday in Kobane. No less than 180 vehicles of the Syrian army paraded through the streets and soldiers sang " the Syrian people is one ." For it must be remembered, with the protection of Moscow, Bashar al-Assad has just recovered a third of its territory without firing a shot.
→ See also: Tense exchange between Syria and Turkey at the UN Security Council