 On 22 August, the SDF began dismantling border fortifications along the Syrian-Turkish border under U.S. supervision.On 24 August, Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar reported that the U.S.-Turkish combined joint operations center (CJOC) was fully operational, adding that joint helicopter flights would begin that same day.On 26 August, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that joint U.S.-Turkish patrols within the zone would begin "soon".