Turkey, Russia, U.S. military chiefs mull Syrian crisis

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Top commanders of Turkey, the United States and Russia met in southern Antalya province of Turkey to mull deconfliction measures for their military operations against terror groups in Syria.

Parties discussed regional security issues in Syria and Iraq, latest situation in fight against terror organizations primarily in Syria, said a statement issued by Turkish Armed Forces after the meeting.

In a bid for more efficient struggle against all terror organizations, they also discussed extra measures to avoid unwanted incidents among three countries, said the statement.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also said  the Antalya meeting is aiming at coordination among militaries of the three countries in Syria.

"If coordination cannot be achieved, there is risk of a conflict that we do not desire," Yildirim said at a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart.

Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting against ISIS, though they support different camps and military tension remains because of Turkish opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia.

Ankara has conducted a military campaign inside Syria since late August and freed several towns near its border including Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Dabiq and Al-Bab.

Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed rebel groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since 30 September 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin.