WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (KUNA) -- US Coalition and Russian military officials have held a face-to-face meeting to discuss "deconfliction measures" as both sides converge in eastern Syria, a military spokesman confirmed Thursday.
"The face-to-face meeting between the Russians and Coalition military officials happened in the region," Army Colonel Ryan Dillon the spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) confirmed in a press briefing. Both sides discussed sharing operational graphics and locations to ensure that prevention of accidental targeting or other possible friction both sides combat so-called Islamic State (IS/Daesh) militants in and near Deir ez-Zor. Tensions are very high at the moment as Coalition and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are waging a war against the IS extremists in Deir ez-Zor, while Russian troops and Syrian government troops are fighting in the Deir ez-Zor city proper.
"They're fighting IS. We're fighting the IS --- the convergence of forces next to one another just increases the need for these deconfliction measures," Dillion said. Russia raised the threat of a direct confrontation with US coalitions forces in Syria if Russian troops came under fire. The Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the US military command that it would strike back, if the SDF's attacks on the Syrian government forces did not stop. The SDF recently attacked their positions in Deir ez-Zor on two occasions, according the Russian military.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Iraq, Iraqi Security forces have routed IS extremists out of 11 villages and have just launched an offensive operations to liberate Hawija, west of Kirkuk and one of two areas still under IS control. Coalition forces launched 28 strikes on IS targets in Hawija and another 37 strikes in Western Anbar to weaken the militants presence there.
"Daesh is losing ground and are failing in every battle, and soon IS will have no sanctuary anywhere in Iraq," according Dillon. So far, across Iraq an estimated four million people have been liberated and more than 41,000 square kilometers have been cleared.
Dillon noted that the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) proposed referendum on independence scheduled for September 25 has been a distraction the US-led coalition's priority to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria. (end) hy.msa