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US Holds onto ‘Deconfliction Channel’ with Russia in Northeastern Syria

A US soldier deployed in an area in northeastern Syria near the Semalka border crossing with Iraq. (AFP)
A US soldier deployed in an area in northeastern Syria near the Semalka border crossing with Iraq. (AFP)
    Washington, London - Elie Youssef and Asharq Al-Awsat
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US Holds onto ‘Deconfliction Channel’ with Russia in Northeastern Syria

A US soldier deployed in an area in northeastern Syria near the Semalka border crossing with Iraq. (AFP)
A US soldier deployed in an area in northeastern Syria near the Semalka border crossing with Iraq. (AFP)

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby reaffirmed that Washington wants to maintain the “deconfliction channel” with Moscow in Syria.

In a press briefing, Kirby declined on Monday to comment on Moscow’s deployment of aircraft in eastern Syria near US forces. He moved on to clarify that the US has a deconfliction channel with the Russians to “make sure that there isn’t miscalculation and unintended consequences.”

Kirby’s comments came in response to reports about Moscow deploying Su-35 fighter jets in the city of Qamishli, eastern Syria, near US forces.

Russian warplanes had staged maneuvers near the bases of the US army and Turkish forces deployed in northeastern Syria.

They flew over the southern countryside of Tal Abyad district in the city of Raqqa and conducted military maneuvers with live ammunition near points of contact with Turkish forces and Syrian opposition factions.

Military exercises over Tal Abyad came only a day after Russian and Syrian regime forces had staged drills over the countryside of the northern al-Hasakeh governorate.

Moscow has deployed eight Russian Su-35 aircraft at Tabqa airport, located in the western countryside of the Raqqa governorate, with the aim of carrying out military training and maneuvers for Syrian regime pilots.

This is the first time that the Russian Air Force has deployed Sukhoi combat aircraft in this region. Before, Russian forces in the area were limited to a few Mi-17 and Mi-25 helicopters and the air defense system at Qamishli airport.

The airspace of the abovementioned region has become overly crowded with air forces from three international parties that are the US-led International Coalition, Russia, and Turkey.

US warplanes are deployed at bases in al-Hasakeh, while Russian fighter jets are deployed at a large airbase situated near Qamishli’s airport and another one located in al-Tabaqa town.

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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)

The festivity of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad was overshadowed by growing political tensions, particularly over the unresolved salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region.

While Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani opted for a neutral gesture - issuing a general holiday greeting and performing Eid prayers without comment - other political leaders used the occasion to speak pointedly about the nation’s deepening challenges.

Al-Sudani attended Eid prayers at Al-Rasoul Mosque in the capital, choosing to remain silent on political matters. However, influential Shiite cleric and head of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali both delivered speeches that touched on the country’s fraught political and economic landscape.

Al-Hakim warned against the use of political money in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 11, 2025.

Calling the vote “historic,” he emphasized the need for electoral integrity and urged political blocs to adopt a national code of conduct barring the use of illicit funds. “There is talk of a market where candidates and voters are being bought. This is corruption and betrayal of the people,” he said.

He also addressed Iraq’s perennial electricity crisis, calling for a “strategic state of emergency” to resolve the issue once and for all. “Despite changing governments and large budgets, the same problems repeat themselves,” he noted.

Al-Hakim stressed the need for governments to define clear priorities, including agriculture, water, and clean energy, and said Iraqis “deserve a dignified life that begins with stable electricity and ends with technological advancement.”

Khazali, meanwhile, focused his remarks on the Kurdistan Region salary crisis, criticizing accusations from Kurdish media that he was responsible for the federal government’s suspension of public sector salaries in the region. “It’s simply not true,” he said. “Unfortunately, salaries remain unpaid to this day.”

He stressed that despite Iraq’s wealth, the country continues to suffer from poverty and unemployment, and argued that the roots of these issues lie in the legacy of the former Ba’ath regime.

Khazali also pointed out that Kurdistan experiences higher poverty rates than the rest of Iraq, and that many Iraqi refugees abroad are from the region.

Turning to the electricity crisis, he warned this summer could be the most difficult in years, as outages are expected to worsen. “All past governments focused on increasing output but ignored the need to instill a culture of energy conservation,” he said, warning that some groups may seek to exploit the crisis to sow internal unrest.