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This Russian fighter jet is one of many SU-24s deployed at an air base in Latakia, Syria [Xinhua]
“Today, Russian and Turkish Air Forces are carrying out their first joint operation to target ISIL in the suburbs of the town of al-Bab in the Aleppo province,” Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff, said.
Al-Bab, which is located just 20km from the Turkish border, has been the focus of Operation Euphrates Shield for Ankara’s forces and Ankara-backed forces to root out Islamic State as well as Kurdish armed groups there.
The joint operation marks a remarkable turnaround in Russo-Turkish ties which faltered just over a year ago when Turkish jet fighters downed a Russian SU-24 bomber in Syria.
Fences have quickly been mended since a summit of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish Counterpart Recept Tayyip Erdogan last summer.
Since then, the two countries have joined political forces to bring about largely an end to fighting in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo as well as prepare the groundwork for upcoming peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
