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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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Iraq Reiterates Need for Int’l Coalition Forces to Remain

A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)
A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Iraq Reiterates Need for Int’l Coalition Forces to Remain

A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)
A convoy of US forces seen on the border between Syria and Iraq. (Reuters file)

Iraq’s security and defense committee announced on Sunday that “the need still stands” for the US-led anti-ISIS international coalition to remain in the country.

It made its announcement days after Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi made similar remarks.

In televised statements, he stressed that the international troops were still needed in Syria, adding that “Iraq and Syria’s security are indivisible.”

Security and military coordination with the coalition continues, he said.

Baghdad has not received any official notice about the withdrawal of the forces from Syria or Iraq, he revealed.

Iraq had in 2024 held three rounds of dialogue with the United States about organizing the presence of the coalition after the completion of the pullout of remaining American forces.

Pro-Iran factions in Iraq, which had for years demanded the withdrawal, have so far not commented on the latest statements about the coalition.

Abbasi added that the American and coalition forces were necessary in Syria to maintain the fight against ISIS remnants, which continue to be a cross-border threat.

The US Defense Department recently said that American troop movement from northern and eastern Syria to more secure locations in Iraq was part of a calculated, safe and professional redeployment plan aimed at consolidating the successes against ISIS and cementing regional stability.

It does not mean the end of the coalition’s mission in Syria, it added.

A Pentagon official said local partners remain in the field in Syria and are an effective force against ISIS.

The US will continue to empower those partners in performing most of their remaining counter-terrorism duties, including guarding ISIS detainees, he went on to say.

ISIS is seeking to exploit any instability in the area, but the US efforts to deter its resurgence cannot be underestimated. The coalition remains committed to achieving the permanent defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, he vowed.

Member of the security and defense committee Yasser Iskander Watout said on Sunday that Iraq needs major logistic and aerial support since the means at its disposal were not enough to control borders with neighbors.

The continued deployment of the international coalition forces is “necessary and realistic”, he said.

The Interior Ministry and border and security forces have secured the border with Syria, but members of the committee said the need remains for aerial support to bolster stability in the area, he revealed.

Watout agreed with Abbasi on the need for the international forces to remain given that it boasts air forces that have effectively secured Iraq’s skies.

He noted that recent government contracts for the purchase of 14 modern jets “were not enough to cover all our needs.”

The coalition currently has 2,500 forces deployed in Iraq to counter ISIS and offer Iraqi forces logistic support.

Pro-Iran factions that have long been opposed to the international troops have not commented on the recent statements on their continued deployment given the Israeli threats against Tehran and US President Donald Trump’s urging of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against carrying out attacks against the factions themselves.