WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Moscow and Washington have been involved in airstrikes against terrorists in Syria, but conducted their aerial campaigns separately. Unlike the strikes of the US-led international coalition, Russia's anti-terrorist operation in Syria was approved by Damascus.
“They have been quite honestly very respectful of our forces,” Gerstein said, adding that US and Russia forces are not coordinating their activities in Syria.
“When they first arrived on a battlespace, and we weren’t anywhere near Shadadi at that point, they were bombing in that region. As our forced moved forward they had stopped bombing in that region, and went further off towards the west and started working in there,” Gerstein explained.
The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq since summer 2014 without the approval of the United Nations and Damascus.