Five U.S. flagged armored vehicles patrol the northern town of Qahtaniyah, the first since the US pulled out of Syria earlier this month.

Patrolling with US forces today are Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main US ally in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) for many years. The town of Qahtaniyah is the area where Syrian government forces are expected to deploy under an agreement with Turkey.

US forces patrolled the northern border area of Qahtaniyah before Washington announced its withdrawal from Syria on October 6. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says this is part of the eastern border, where US forces seek to maintain a presence.

"They want to prevent Russia and Syria from accessing the border areas in the eastern town of Qamishli," which is seen by the Syrian Kurds as "the capital," said Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The patrol came after recent US reinforcements from Iraq to Syria, the move is considered to reverse the withdrawal of US President Donald Trump. Washington has begun to consolidate its positions in Deir Ezzor province with additional military equipment, working with SDF to prevent IS and other parties from accessing oil fields in the region, a US defense official said. .

Turkey launched an offensive against the Kurds in northeast Syria on 9 October to create a buffer zone after the US withdrew from the region. The attack left hundreds of people dead and tens of thousands displaced, prompting Turkey and Russia to hold a summit in Sochi to resolve the situation.

Under the agreement signed in Sochi, Turkey will take control of the 120-km-wide area at the center of the border, while Syrian government forces will deploy in areas to the east and west. Along the entire length of the border, a 10 km deep buffer zone will be created on the Syrian side, where Russian and Turkish troops will patrol together.

Location of Qahtaniyah town on the northern border of Syria. Graphics: Google Maps.