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Russia, Turkey to work closer after deadly Syria airstrike

Russia, Turkey to work closer after deadly Syria airstrike

MOSCOW — The Kremlin says that Russia and Turkey have agreed to improve co-ordination in Syria to prevent further friendly fire incidents after a Russian airstrike killed three Turkish soldiers the day before.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the accidental strike near the town of al-Bab in northern Syria prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss better co-operation in fighting the Islamic State group in the area.

In a signal that the incident hasn't hurt a Russia-Turkey rapprochement, Peskov said on Friday that Erdogan is set to visit Russia next month.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus says Thursday's Turkish casualties were the result of "faulty co-ordination" in Syria and that "the struggle there shows that there is a need for a much closer co-ordination."

The Associated Press