soldier holding gun with armored vehicles in background bearing
Soldiers of a Russian military convoy and their US counterparts exchange greetings as their patrol routes intersect in an oil field near Syria's al-Qahtaniyah town in the northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on October 8, 2022.DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images
  • There are photos of US and Russian troops in Syria.

  • Both forces were patrolling near the Turkish border.

  • The Russian soldiers forced the US soldiers off the road.

Two years ago, when US and Russian patrols came across each other in northeastern Syria, there was an armored vehicle crash that left four American service members injured.

About an hour's drive from the 2020 episode, the armies met again last week. The result was smiles, handshakes, and group photos. Russian vehicles with the same "Z" marking were captured in some of the photos taken by a correspondent for the Agence France-Presse.

The US and Russia support different sides in Syria, with the US providing support to a Kurdish-led militia that has fought against the Islamic State while the Kremlin supports the Assad regime. Deconfliction lines have been used by the US and Russia in the past.

soldier takes group photo
Soldiers of a Russian military convoy and their US counterparts pose for pictures as their patrol routes intersect in an oil field near Syria's al-Qahtaniyah town in the northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on October 8, 2022.DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Russian soldiers, who have supported Assad's aims since 2015, deployed to northeastern Syria at the request of both the Syrian government and America's Kurdish allies after Donald Trump's decision to withdraw some US troops from an area they had been operating in. Kurdish forces in Syria are seen as a security threat by Turkey.

Several hundred US troops remain in northeastern Syria, with both Washington and Moscow conducting patrols to discourage any further incursion by Turkey, a member of NATO.

Despite rising tensions between Washington and Moscow, and the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, that unique arrangement appears friendly.

Soldiers of a Russian military convoy and their US counterparts pose for pictures as their patrol routes intersect in an oil field near Syria's al-Qahtaniyah town in the northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on October 8, 2022.DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

There was an encounter on October 8 near the town of al-Qahtaniyah. Some soldiers exchanged small patches on their uniforms as souvenirs of the interaction, according to the news service.

Insider reached out to US Central Command but didn't hear back.

Tell us about a news story. C Davis is the reporter for Insider.

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