Russia
blamed the misdirected strikes on poor coordination between Moscow
and Ankara
Russian
air strikes accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and wounded 11
others during an operation against Islamic State in northern Syria on
Thursday, the Turkish military said.
"During
an operation by a Russia Federation warplane against Islamic State
targets in the region of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, a
bomb accidentally hit a building used by Turkish Army units,"
the military said in statement.
The
Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Turkish
counterpart Tayyip Erdogan and expressed his condolences, blaming the
misdirected strikes on poor coordination between Moscow and Ankara.
The
incident highlighted the risk of unintended clashes between the
numerous outside powers involved in Syria's complex six-year-old war.
Besides Russia and Turkey, they include Lebanon's Hezbollah and other
Iranian-backed militias, and members of a U.S.-led coalition fighting
Islamic State.
Russia
supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey supports the
rebels opposing him.
In
2015, Turkey shot down a Russian air force jet that it said had
crossed into Turkish airspace, though Moscow denied that happened.
The
two countries have since repaired relations, and Thursday's Kremlin
statement said the two leaders had agreed to step up military
coordination against Islamic State.
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