The Russian military conducted another round of joint patrols with the U.S.-backed Manbij Military Council in the Manbij countryside this week, Al-Masdar News says.

According to reports, the Russian military and Manbij Military Council conducted joint patrols on Wednesday and Thursday (Jan 23-24) in the northern and western parts of Manbij.

In particular, the Russian military and Manbij Military Council concentrated their patrols on the northern Manbij towns of Dadat and Owshiriyeh and the western Manbij town of Al-Arimeh.

Thursday’s maneuvers in the Manbij countryside marked the fourth time in the last month that the Russian military and the Manbij Military Council have conducted joint patrols.

Since the recent buildup of Turkish-backed rebels in the northern outskirts of the city, the Russian military, and the Manbij Military Council have been conducting these joint patrols to ensure the security around this region of northeast Aleppo.