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Kremlin: Russian Strike which Killed Turkish Troops in Syria Followed Ankara Data

Kremlin: Russian Strike which Killed Turkish Troops in Syria Followed Ankara Data
folder_openSyria access_time7 years ago
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The Russian Air Force strike which killed Turkish soldiers in Syria was guided by positioning data provided by Turkey, and there should not have been any Turkish troops in the area, the Kremlin spokesman said.

Kremlin: Russian Strike which Killed Turkish Troops in Syria Followed Ankara Data

Moscow and Ankara agree that the outcome of the airstrike, which killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11 others in northern Syria on Thursday, was not deliberate and was due to miscommunication on the positioning data, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

"As for the reasons [of this incident], they are unfortunately clear. There's no controversy. The situation is evident: our military was following the data sent by our Turkish partners, and there shouldn't have been any Turkish troops within the limits of these coordinates," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Asked if there was amistake on the part of Turkish intelligence, Peskov reiterated that there was a "miscommunication in providing the data."

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the incident in a phone call, Peskov added.

"The discussion was detailed and productive," the spokesman said, adding that "apart from the incident" bilateral relations between the states were also touched upon by the leaders.

During the phone call, Putin expressed his condolences over the deaths of the Turkish troops.

Citing sources in the Russian military command, media outlet Kommersant reported earlier on Friday that the coordinates for the strike had been agreed beforehand by both countries' militaries.

The sources also suggested that one of the reasons for the incident could be the uncoordinated relocation of Turkish ground troops into the area.

Moscow and Ankara are carrying out investigations into the matter.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that the airstrike had killed the Turkish soldiers on Thursday.

The Turkish command said that the airstrike had hit a building housing Turkish soldiers in the city of al-Bab at 8:40am local time.

The airstrike was targeting Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] forces in the area, the head of the Russian Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said in a statement.

The Turkish military said that it was satisfied with the actions and statements made by the Russian authorities, TASS reported, citing a source in the Turkish General Staff.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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