Damascus, June 21 (RHC)-- Russian forces operating in Syria at the request of its legitimate government have intercepted a U.S. military convoy in the north of the country and forced it to retreat, media reported on Monday.

The incident occurred in the town of Tal Tamer, on the strategic M-4 road linking the northern province of Aleppo with the northeastern province of Hasakeh.  Broadcast images of the event showed four U.S. military vehicles that were unable to advance on the road as Russian soldiers prevented them from doing so.

Sources quoted by Russia Today TV channel indicated that the U.S. patrol violated the signed protocols by being in this area without prior notice to the Russian side to avoid confrontational incidents.

This is not the first incident because on previous occasions there have been verbal confrontations and strong frictions between Russian and U.S. troops illegally deployed in the area.  The Pentagon sent troops to Syria without the authorization of its government or the United Nations under the pretext of fighting terrorism, however, they are currently concentrated around the oil fields.

The Damascus government has repeatedly denounced the illegal presence of U.S. troops, which it described as an occupation, and affirmed that the Pentagon's actions in Syria encourage terrorist activity and aim at destabilizing the country and plundering its wealth.