US Has No Plans for Active Military Cooperation With Russia in Syria

Washington has no plans to closely cooperate with Moscow in Syria, the US Department of State said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is not planning to start active military cooperation with Russia in Syria, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a press briefing on Thursday.

“For the purpose of safety, there has been the sharing of some tactical information with respect to the airspace over Syria. That continues, but there is not now nor other plans to actively cooperate militarily with the Russian military in Syria,” Kirby stated.

A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. It does not apply to terrorist groups such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front, both outlawed in many countries, including Russia.

Last week, US Department of State deputy spokesperson Mark Toner welcomed Russia’s efforts to defeat Daesh in Syria.

Both Washington and Moscow have been conducting military operations against terrorists in the war-torn country. The US-led international coalition of more than 60 members has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria since August and September 2014 respectively. Russian began its own operation in September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.