TASS, March 23. Residents of a village located near the Syrian town of Qamishli (north of the Al-Hasakah Province) have come out to block further movement of a US military column, Syria’s SANA news agency said Monday.

According to the agency, locals did not let eleven US combat vehicles to pass by their village. The US military were forced to turn around and head back.

On October 9, Ankara launched a new military operation in northern Syria dubbed Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on positions of Kurdish units. The objective is to create a buffer zone in northern Syria where Syrian refugees could return, Ankara claims. The buffer zone will also establish a security belt for the Turkish border. Even though US President Donald Trump announced intention to pull out American troops from the area where Turkey was conducting its military operation in late October, he then pointed out that Washington intends to keep control over oil fields in northeast Syria. Later, Arabic and Turkish media outlets repeatedly shared reports that the US was regrouping its forces in northeast Syria.