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Russia, Turkey to work closer after deadly Syria airstrike

Turkish soldiers carry the national flag-draped coffin of Mehmet Sahin, 25, accidentally killed in a Russian airstrike around the northern Syrian town al Bab, during a memorial service before his remains' repatriation to his hometown, at the airport in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. Sahin was among the three troops killed when a Russian warplane on Thursday accidentally hit a building in al-Bab, with Turkish soldiers inside. Russian President Vladimir Putin promptly called his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to express regrets over what the Russian leader called a "tragic incident." (Eyyup Burun/DHA-depo Photos via AP)
Turkish soldiers carry the national flag-draped coffin of Mehmet Sahin, 25, accidentally killed in a Russian airstrike around the northern Syrian town al Bab, during a memorial service before his remains' repatriation to his hometown, at the airport in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. Sahin was among the three troops killed when a Russian warplane on Thursday accidentally hit a building in al-Bab, with Turkish soldiers inside. Russian President Vladimir Putin promptly called his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to express regrets over what the Russian leader called a "tragic incident." (Eyyup Burun/DHA-depo Photos via AP) Turkish soldiers carry the national flag-draped coffin of Mehmet Sahin, 25, accidentally killed in a Russian airstrike around the northern Syrian town al Bab, during a memorial service before his remains' repatriation to his hometown, at the airport in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. Sahin was among the three troops killed when a Russian warplane on Thursday accidentally hit a building in al-Bab, with Turkish soldiers inside. Russian President Vladimir Putin promptly called his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to express regrets over what the Russian leader called a "tragic incident." (Eyyup Burun/DHA-depo Photos via AP)

By Associated Press 1 min read

MOSCOW (AP) – The Kremlin says that Russia and Turkey have agreed to improve coordination 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 cooperation 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 coordination” in Syria and that “the struggle there shows that there is a need for a much closer coordination.”