russianaffairs

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has talked to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone about the recent developments in Syria late Thursday, RIA news agency reported. The two leaders agreed to increase military coordination in Syria against the Daesh terrorist group, the Kremlin said in a statement. During their conversation, the two leaders also discussed the Astana process and exchanged views on the upcoming Turkey-Russia High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) meeting in March. A statement released by the Turkish General Staff later on Thursday said that Russian jets mistakenly targeted Turkish soldiers near Syria’s al-Bab leading to the death of three soldiers and injuring 11 others. The wounded Turkish soldiers were transferred to a nearby hospital after initial medical treatment. A bomb mistakenly hit a building, in which Turkish soldiers were located, while a Russian warplane was targeting Daesh positions in al-Bab, the statement elaborated. Russian authorities also stated that the incident was an accident, expressing their grief and condolences, it added. Both Turkish and Russian parties have launched an investigation regarding the incident.