2015-10-10 18:30:00

Russia, US to open talks on coordination of Syrian airstrikes


(Vatican Radio) U.S. officials say Russia has agreed to resume talks with the United States on air safety during bombing campaigns in Syria. The announcement comes amid mounting concerns there could be an accidental clash as both nations pursue separate airstrikes over the Middle East nation. 

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

The Western call for talks on coordinating air strikes comes with Russian fighter planes lifting off from a base in the Syrian port city of Latakia, officially to target Islamic State militants and affiliated extremists in Syria.    

That's not all. 

Russian warships in the Caspian Sea have fired 26 high-tech cruise missiles at rebel targets in Syria—a staggering 1,000 miles or some 1,600 kilometers, away.

Now there are concerns there could be an accidental clash between the Russian military and a United States-led coalition as both pursue separate bombing campaigns over the Middle East nation.

The U.S. and its NATO military alliance allies have also been alarmed at violations of Turkish air space by Russian jets. However the Pentagon says Russia has agreed to start talks as soon as this weekend on how to avoid further tensions. 

Safe separation

Pentagon officials said they already had to carry out at least one "safe separation" manoeuvre to avoid an American jet coming too close to a Russian aircraft over Syria.

The talks are expected to deal with how much separation there should between US and Russian aircraft and which language and radio frequencies crews should use for communications. 

However analysts say Russia's intervention has complicated the Syrian battlefield and given new life to President Bashar Assad. 

Amid these difficulties, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made clear that the Pentagon is effectively abandoning a failed Pentagon effort to build a new ground force of moderate rebels, partnering instead with established rebel groups to fight the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIL.  

Not satisfied

"We have been looking for now several weeks at ways to improve that program. I wasn't satisfied with the earlier efforts in that regard," Carter acknowledged.

"So we are looking at different ways to achieve basically the same strategic objective which is the right one...to enable capable, motivated forces on the ground to reclaim territory from ISIL and reclaim Syrian territory from extremism,"he told reporters. 

American officials have accused Russia however of attacking targets not belonging to the so-called Islamic State. 

And the Russian air strikes have raised questions whether and how the US would protect Assad-opposing rebel groups it is working with, if they are hit by Russian bombs.








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