Russian troops patrol between Turkish and Syrian forces in Manbij

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian units have begun patrolling territory separating Turkish-backed Syrian rebels from the Syrian army around the flashpoint town of Manbij in north-east Syria, in a clear sign that Moscow has become the de facto power broker in the region after the evacuation of US troops, The Guardian reports.

Oleg Blokhin, a Russian journalist usually attached to mercenaries in Syria, posted a video on social media on Tuesday, October 16 from a deserted US military base in the village of al-Saadiya, near Manbij.

“They [the US] were here yesterday, we are here today,” he said. “Now we’ll see how they were living and what they were doing.”

Meanwhile, the flag of the Syrian regime was raised above Manbij for the first time in years, Syrian state media reported, after Kurdish officials agreed a deal allowing their former opponents to protect both the contested town and nearby Kobane from a six-day-old Turkish assault.

Regime troops entered Manbij on Monday night and, at the same time, Syrian rebel proxies loyal to Turkey massed to the west ahead of a planned attack.