Top U.S. general in summit over crowded Syrian battlefield - Washington Times

[TomSea]

Top U.S. general in summit over crowded Syrian battlefield
Dunford meets Russia, Turkey counterparts

By Carlo Muñoz - The Washington Times - Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Top American Gen. Joseph Dunford met Tuesday with his Turkish and Russian military counterparts in a surprise summit in Turkey in an attempt to head off growing regional tensions and focus the fight on Islamic State’s stronghold in Syria.

The meeting came less than 24 hours after the Pentagon disclosed that a small deployment of U.S. forces had been sent to the northern Syrian city of Manbij to monitor Syrian, Russian and Turkish forces positioned around the strategically important city.

Officials at the summit, held in the Turkish coastal town of Antalya, characterized the meeting as an effort to ensure forces from all three countries operating in northern Syria stay out of each other’s way — a sign of swirling cross-currents and a bewildering roster of players in the Syrian conflict.

“There is a need for an effective coordination in the efforts to clear Syria of all terror groups because so many countries are involved there,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Ankara Tuesday.

Continued: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/7/syria-policy-debated-by-gen-joseph-dunford-and-rus/