U.S., Russian Commanders Meet to Avoid Clashes in Fight Against Islamic State in Syria

Russian and American commanders reportedly met at an undisclosed location this week to be sure the two sides don’t fire on each other as they battle the Islamic State in eastern Syria.

A U.S. spokesman told Military.com that commanders met in an undisclosed location to make sure "we don’t fire upon one another” when battling the Islamic State terrorist group.

"We need to know where they are, and they need to know where we are” in the in Deir al-Zour area, Army Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said.

The outlet reported that the meeting came after Russian warplanes attacked positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a group that is backed by the U.S.

The meeting is believed to be the first such meeting between the U.S. and Russian forces in the region and involved the exchange of maps and graphics about where their respective partnered forces were situated.

Dillon warned that the meeting did not suggest that the U.S. is cooperating with either the Russians or the Syrian regime and that the meeting focused on the prevention of "accidental targeting or other possible frictions.”

Reuters reported that the Russians had claimed the SDF had opened fire on Syrian troops working with Russian special forces and that a U.S. military official had been "told in no uncertain terms that any attempts to open fire from areas where SDF fighters are located would be quickly shut down.”

In turn, the SDF said on Saturday they had come under attack from Russian jets and Syrian government forces. Moscow denies those claims, according to Reuters.