WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th February, 2020) The United States' and Russia's chiefs of staff Mark Milley and Valery Gerasimov discussed over the telephone efforts at deconfliction in Syria amid increased fighting in that country's northwestern province of Idlib, US Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson DeDe Halfhill said in a statement.
"The two military leaders exchanged their views on deconfliction efforts in Syria as well as other issues of mutual concern," Halfhill said in the statement on Friday.
However, Milley and Gerasimov agreed not to disclose the specific details of their conversation, the statement added.
The situation in Idlib escalated on Thursday after fighters of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terror group (formerly known as Nusra Front, banned in Russia) launched a large-scale attack on the positions of the Syrian government forces who returned fire.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Turkish military, who should not have been there, also came under attack. As a result, 33 soldiers of the Turkish army were killed, and more than 30 were injured.
