Syria war: Russian 'friendly fire' kills Turkish soldiers

President Vladimir Putin has sent condolences
after a Russian air strike accidentally killed three
Turkish soldiers in northern Syria.
The strike hit a building near the town of al-Bab,
believing it to contain Islamic State (IS) fighters
rather than Turkish troops, Turkey's military said.

Eleven others were wounded in the so-called
friendly fire incident.
They were supporting Syrian rebels who are
locked in a fierce battle to try to capture al-Bab
from IS fighters.

Russia and Turkey, who back opposing sides in
the Syrian war, have been jointly conducting air
strikes on IS in the town in recent weeks.

'Tragic incident'

The Russian aircraft had been planning to hit IS
targets but "by accident three of our soldiers were
martyred when a building was bombed where our
units were," Turkey's military said.

The Kremlin has issued a statement (in Russian)
saying President Putin had, in a telephone call
with his Turkish counterpart, "expressed
condolences over a tragic incident which resulted
in the deaths of several Turkish troops in the al- Bab area".


President Putin told Recep Tayyip Erdogan that
poor co-ordination between Moscow and Ankara
was to blame for the accident, RIA news agency
reports.

The two leaders agreed to "increase military co-
operation during operations in Syria against IS
militants and other extremist organisations".
Both countries are conducting a joint investigation,
Turkey's military said.

The incident comes after a warming of relations
between the two countries, which had previously
been strained after Turkey downed a Russian jet
near the Syrian border two
years ago.

Earlier on Thursday, Turkish-backed rebel fighters
managed to capture the western outskirts of al-
Bab, which lies about 30km (20 miles) south of
Turkey. Turkish media say 10 Turkish soldiers
have been killed in the fighting in recent days.

The Dogan news agency says 66 Turkish troops
have been killed in Syria since Turkey began its
operations there last August to drive out IS, as
well as stop the advance of the Kurdish YPG militia
- which Turkey considers a terror organisation.
'What a difference a year makes' - by Mark Lowen,
BBC Turkey correspondent

At the end of 2015, Russia and Turkey risked
military confrontation as the Turkish military shot
down a Russian jet which it said had violated its
airspace. By the end of 2016, the two, who back opposite sides in the Syrian war, were co-
operating to reach a ceasefire in Aleppo.
The murder of the Russian ambassador in Ankara
didn't derail ties - and nor will today's military
accident. Why? Because the two countries need
each other. Partly in their general bilateral
relations, with Turkey importing most of its energy
from Russia and relying on Russian tourists. But
partly too in order to achieve their respective aims in Syria.

Turkey wants a buffer zone in northern Syria free
of IS and the Kurdish militia that it sees as
terrorists - and has needed Russian consent for
its troops to launch a ground offensive in northern
Syria over the past few months.
And Russia has
managed to prop up the Assad regime and needed
Turkey - one of Assad's fiercest opponents - to
turn a blind eye to the recapture of Aleppo.
Realpolitik has taken the place of steadfast ethics -
as it so often does.

The Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have been
battling IS for al-Bab since late 2016.
Syrian government forces, meanwhile, are also
closing in on IS from the south, where fierce
fighting is reported.

Reports suggest the rebels and government forces
have reached an accommodation over al-Bab,
orchestrated by Syria's key alley, Russia.
The two sides are now within 3km of each other
on opposite sides of the city.

Despite supporting opposing sides, Russia and
Turkey have joined forces in recent months to try
to end the Syria conflict.

They carried out their first joint air strikes on IS
targets in the al-Bab area in January, just weeks
after securing a ceasefire deal between rebels and
government forces that has held in many parts of
Syria since the end of last year.

Source: CNN