Several injured as Russo-Turkish patrol in Syria hits IED

A fireball erupts from the site of an explosion reportedly targeting a joint Turkis-Russian patrol on the strategic M4 highway, near the Syrian town of Ariha in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, on July 14, 2020. (AFP)

• A Russian and a Turkish armored vehicle were damaged, with three Russians “lightly injured”
• Several Turkish soldiers were also wounded

MOSCOW: Three Russian and several Turkish soldiers were injured Tuesday in Syria’s volatile Idlib province when a joint military patrol hit an improvised explosive device, the Russian defense ministry said.
The device blew up at 8:50 local time (0550 GMT) as their convoy patrolled the M4 highway in the southern part of a de-escalation zone, a statement said.
A Russian and a Turkish armored vehicle were damaged, with three Russians “lightly injured,” it said. Several Turkish soldiers were also wounded.
Russia and Turkey launched the patrols along the M4 in March following a cease-fire agreement aimed at stopping heavy fighting in and around Idlib, the last major bastion of anti-government forces in Syria’s civil war.
Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad in the conflict and Turkey backs the opposition, but the two countries have agreed several deals to reduce hostilities.