Russian Bombing in Syria Mistakenly Kills 3 Turkish Soldiers

Russian air strikes on Thursday accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers during an operation against Daesh (ISIL) in Syria, the Turkish military said.

“During an operation by a Russia Federation warplane against Islamic State (Daesh) targets in the region of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, a bomb accidentally hit a building used by Turkish Army units,” the Turkish military said in a statement. Eleven others were wounded.

The Kremlin also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and expressed his condolences, blaming the incident on poor coordination between Moscow and Ankara, Reuters reported.

Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In 2015, Turkey shot down a Russian air force jet that it said had crossed into Turkish airspace, though Moscow denied any incursion.

The two countries have since repaired relations, and the Kremlin statement on Thursday said the two leaders had agreed to step up military coordination against Daesh terrorist group.