Russia has told Turkey that Kurdish fighters have withdrawn from north Syria: President Erdogan

Ankara: Russian officials have conveyed to Turkish authorities that the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia has withdrawn from a strip of land on the Syrian-Turkish border within a 150-hour deadline set by Ankara and Moscow, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Russia's defence minister said earlier on Tuesday that the YPG had completed their withdrawal ahead of the deadline, but a top aide to Erdogan said Turkey would now see through planned joint patrols with Russia whether the fighters had really pulled out of the area or not.

Speaking in Ankara at a celebration marking the anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic, Erdogan also said talks between Russian and Turkish officials on Syria would continue.