As Syria war tightens, US and Russia military hotlines humming

[TomSea]

As Syria war tightens, US and Russia military hotlines humming
As forces backed by Russia and US scramble to capture what is left of IS's territory, the risk of accidental contacts is growing

Thursday 24 August 2017 00:24 UTC
Last update:
Thursday 24 August 2017 0:24 UTC
 By Phil Stewart

Even as tensions between the United States and Russia fester, there is one surprising place where their military-to-military contacts are quietly weathering the storm: Syria.

It has been four months since US President Donald Trump ordered cruise missile strikes against a Syrian airfield after an alleged chemical weapons attack.

In June, the US military shot down a Syrian fighter aircraft, the first US downing of a manned jet since 1999, and also shot down two Iranian-made drones that threatened US-led coalition forces.

All the while, US and Russian military officials have been regularly communicating, US officials told Reuters. Some of the contacts are helping draw a line on the map that separates US- and Russian-backed forces waging parallel campaigns on Syria's shrinking battlefields.

Continued: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-war-tightens-us-and-russia-military-hotlines-humming-504015472