page_title: Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone
section_title: Implementation and incident timeline
hierarchical_section_title: Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone / Implementation and incident timeline
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Forces de la police militaire russe à Kobané le 23 octobre 2019.
context_page_description: The Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone, part of the Sochi Agreement, is a buffer zone in northern Syria between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces. It was set up following a memorandum of understanding in the Russian city Sochi on 22 October 2019 by the Russian and Turkish presidents during the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. Most of the zone is controlled by the Syrian Army and Russian Military Police, and some by the TAF.
context_section_description: On 22 October: senior YPG officials stated that the group had completed its withdrawal from the buffer zone region.
  On 23 October: Russian forces conducted their first patrol in Northern Syria.
  On 24 October: the SDF said Turkey was violating the deal by launching a ground offensive against three villages in the country's north
  Russia stated that the implementation of the zone was "on track" and announced that it was sending additional military policemen and heavy equipment to aid in its implementation.
  The SDF announced that the Kurdish fighters had already withdrawn from the buffer zone.
  On 27 October: Turkey said an attack by Kurdish forces left one Turkish soldier dead and five others injured. Turkish forces responded within the framework of self-defence".
  The Syrian Democratic Forces officially announced their support for the deal, stating that their fighters would deploy to new positions deeper into Syria, as they stated that Syrian Government border guards were taking up their previous positions along the border.
  On 28 October, following a large-scale deployment of Syrian Army troops to various border villages in the few days prior, the Syrian Army deployed to the town of Al-Darbasiyah along the Syrian-Turkish border for the first time in seven years.
  45 SDF vehicles carrying troops and heavy artillery departed Amuda and headed towards the country's south. The Syrian Government stated that the withdrawal had been carried out in coordination with the Syrian Army.
  On 30 October, the Turkish President announced that the joint Russian-Turkish ground patrols within the zone would begin on 1 November, but would be limited only to a 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) deep area within the buffer zone. He however said, that the zone could be expanded to the full 10 kilometers, should SDF attacks on Turkey continue. The Turkish President further stated that he believed that the YPG withdrawal from the buffer zone had not fully taken place.
caption: Russian Military Police enter Kobanî on 24 October as part of the Buffer Zone deal
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