U.S. aircraft have had to change course to avoid colliding with Russian planes in Syria, the Pentagon says, sparking worries about an international incident.
Officials said Wednesday there had been at least one such close call in the last week following Russia’s launch of airstrikes in Syria.
The danger of an incident between the two nations has grown as military talks between the U.S. and Russia stall.
“We have taken some actions to ensure the safe separation of aircraft, but we do continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria in support of this mission to degrade and destroy [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria],” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said.
Pentagon officials conducted a videoconference with their Russian counterparts on Oct. 1 — a day after Russia began airstrikes — but a second round has not yet been scheduled.
During the first round of talks, Davis said, the U.S. presented a proposal to Russia on how to avoid any unintended clashes in the airspace over Syria.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the U.S. was awaiting a response from Russia regarding further talks.
The need to coordinate with Russia could become even more urgent, as Moscow prepares to deploy “volunteer” ground troops to Syria.
