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Pentagon Increases Work With Russia via Deconfliction Channel Amid Raqqa Op

CC0 / / The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense
The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense - Sputnik International
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The United States had to boost its deconfliction cooperation with the Russian military amid the ongoing operation to liberate Raqqa, US Air Forces Central Command Commander Jeffrey Harrigian told reporters on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States and Russia signed the bilateral memorandum of understanding in October 2015 to ensure their flight safety during combat missions over Syria.

"We have had to increase the amount of deconfliction work we are doing with the Russians given the tighter airspace that we are now working ourselves through," Harrigian said.

In November 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which predominately consists of Kurdish fighters, but also includes members of the Syrian Arab Coalition, launched an operation called the Rage of Euphrates in order to seize control over Syrian Raqqa, the de facto Daesh capital, and are now starting the fourth stage of the campaign aimed at liberating the rural areas of Raqqa province from terrorists.

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Deconfliction zones established between the United States and Russia in Syria are created on a temporary basis for certain operations, Harrigan said.

"They [the zones] are largely temporary."

The United States has taken no action regarding de-escalation zones in Syria backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey,Harrigian said in a briefing on Wednesday.

"We have not done anything specifically to plan for those [zones] or to accept those as areas that we would de-conflict in," Harrigian told reporters.

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The commander noted that the zones are not being discussed in US talks with the Russian military, which focus on the de-confliction effort. Harrigian noted, however, that the United States is closely watching the rotation of Russian aircraft and air defense systems.

Earlier in May, Russia, Turkey and Iran signed the memorandum on establishment of safe zones in the country as part of the Astana talks on Syrian settlement. The four zones include the northwestern Idlib province and parts of neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the north of the central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, as well as the southern Daraa and Quneitra regions.

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