Intel: Top US and Russian generals link up to talk Syria
Jack Detsch December 18, 2019
Gen. Mark Milley, the top US military official, met his Russian counterpart Gen. Valery Gerasimov in Bern, Switzerland, today as part of an ongoing high-level military dialogue between the United States and Russia. Moscow has reportedly used the channel to seek American help to rebuild areas held by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and repatriate Syrian refugees.
Why it matters: The latest meeting between Milley and Gerasimov is a sign that the high-level channel, first set up under the previous US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Gen. Joseph Dunford, will continue apace under new leadership at the Pentagon. Al-Monitor reported in October that the United States has deconflicted operations going after al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) leadership in Syria, including the raid that took the life of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi with Russian forces, which control much of the airspace in Assad-held areas.
Read more:
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/12/russia-us-generals-talk-syria-military-gerasimov-milley.html#ixzz68eI77eFT
