Russian and US ground troops have occasional "hiccups" in deconflicting their activities in Syria, with the United States forces having once "intercepted" a Russian major general who way traveling to Manbij in the north of the country, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said during a press briefing on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) Russian and US ground troops have occasional "hiccups" in deconflicting their activities in Syria, with the United States forces having once "intercepted" a Russian major general who way traveling to Manbij in the north of the country, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said during a press briefing on Thursday.
"There were ground deconfliction problems in Manbij beginning about 14 months ago as the Russians have moved into the south-eastern part of that perimeter," Jeffrey told reporters. "At one point we intercepted a Russian Major General who was driving toward the town of Manbij."
Jeffrey said the issue of intercepting the Russian officer was eventually resolved via military-to-military channels.
Deconfliction communications between the two countries date back to 2015, when Russia deployed its forces to Syria to assist the government fight terrorists.
The deconfliction mechanism includes three telephone lines - for ground troops, air forces and senior commanders.
