USA proposals, first outlined during a secure video conference between the US and Russian militaries on October. 1, include maintaining a safe distance between US and Russian aircraft and using common radio frequencies for distress calls.
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President Barack Obama has not spoken about the Central Intelligence Agency program publicly, but he has said that Russian Federation risks slipping into a quagmire in Syria and is operating from a position of weakness.
Islamic State and other insurgents, including groups backed by President Assad’s foreign enemies, have been fighting each other north of the city. “The regime happened to attack them with Russian support”.
Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the US-led coalition, told reporters that coalition and Russian planes came just “miles apart” over Syria.
The official who spoke to AP all but confirmed that the Islamic State is not the priority for the Syrian troops and their allies, saying most areas held by the group in eastern Syria are desert regions considered to be on the periphery.
Charlie Winter, a senior researcher for the anti-extremism think-tank Quilliam, said reports on the ground of Isis territorial gains “run contrary to Russia’s claims”.
Defence Secretary Ash Carter says the U.S. is nearing an agreement in its discussions with Russian Federation about flight safety in the skies over Syria, and talks may conclude soon.
Russian Federation began launching air strikes in Syria on 30 September, allowing Syrian government forces to carry out a multi-pronged ground assault.
“Things are coming into focus and people are choosing sides in a way that they haven’t had to before”, he said.
Control of Aleppo province is divided among the Syrian government, a range of insurgent groups fighting Assad, and the Islamic State group, which controls a few rural areas near the city. One rebel fighter, speaking about the missiles told The New York Times that “We can get as much as we need and whenever we need them”.
“It is necessary to support the cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Kurdistan in the fight against terrorism, but we are doing it with the consent of the government”, he said.
Mr. Putin’s move already has shown signs of increased danger to Russians from counterattacks from Islamist groups in the Middle East and back home in Russia.
Syria has been entangled in civil war since March 2011.
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As a result, for Russian Federation, supporting Assad is tantamount to bolstering its own stability and security. This is too painful for us.
