Damascus, Oct 22 (IANS): As US troops started withdrawing from the Turkey-Syrian border, Kurds from both the countries threw rotten fruits and stones at the 500-strong convoy.

About 500 US personnel crossed over into Iraq from Syria early Monday morning in hundreds of armoured vehicles, reports news website Vox.

In Qamishli, a northern Syria town near the Turkish border, Kurds could be seen throwing rotten fruit and stones at the convoy.

The development comes after US Defence Secretary Mark Esper told reporters that the 1,000 American service members in Syria would go into western Iraq to "help defend" the country and "perform a counter-IS mission as we sort through the next steps".

The withdrawal, though, will take weeks to complete as the Pentagon aims to ensure the safety of the force as they leave Syria - leaving many other US personnel in the country for now.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump had announced the withdrawal of American troops out of border areas in Syria, abandoning their allied Kurdish-backed fighters and paving the way for the October 9 Turkish offensive in the region.