A Turkish military vehicle was hit by a blast on Monday during the 25th joint Russian-Turkish patrol in Syria's Idlib region, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Monday.
The ministry noted that there had been an attack that caused material damage but no deaths. No further information was immediately available.
The attack was carried out by terrorists using a rocket-propelled grenade near the Ariha town of Idlib, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said no Russian soldiers were hurt in the incident.
Following the attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Besides Syria, Libya and tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the two leaders also discussed tourism, energy, economic cooperation and the fight against COVID-19.
Last week, Russia said the joint military patrols in Idlib, carried out along the M4 highway linking Syria's east and west, had been suspended over increasing militant attacks in the area.
Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war, agreed on March 5 to halt military activity in the northwestern Idlib region after an escalation of violence displaced nearly a million people and brought the two sides close to confrontation. The deal addresses Turkey's main concerns, stopping a flow of refugees and preventing the deaths of more Turkish soldiers on the ground.
As part of the agreement, Turkish and Russian forces have been carrying out joint patrols along the M4 highway linking Syria's east and west and establish a security corridor on either side of it.
The first patrols took place on March 15.
Idlib has long been under siege by Assad regime forces and its allies, and previous cease-fires for the region were plagued by violations.
Since April 2018, attacks on the last opposition stronghold have dramatically intensified and caused new waves of refugees to move toward the Turkish border, putting Turkey, which already hosts 3.7 million Syrians, into a difficult position.
As a result, Turkey, which has the second-largest army in the transatlantic NATO alliance, has funneled troops and equipment into the region to stop the Syrian regime's advance and to avoid a fresh wave of refugees.
Currently, Turkish soldiers are stationed in the region to protect the local population and oppose terrorist groups.
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