Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan arrive for a news conference held by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin after a Syria summit, in Istanbul, Turkey October 27, 2018. Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Pool via REUTERS

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Training for joint patrols between Turkish and U.S. forces in Syria’s Manbij has been completed, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by state-owned Anadolu news agency on Tuesday, adding that patrols would begin imminently.

“The training process has been completed and joint patrols will begin today or tomorrow,” he said, adding that after Manbij, Turkey would focus on the area east of the Euphrates River.