Secret Russian-Kurdish-Syrian military cooperation in Syria

LONDON - 25 July 2017: British columnist Robert Fisk revealed Tuesday that the Russians, the Syrian army and Kurds of the YPG militia – theoretically allied to the US – have set up a secret coordination center in the desert of eastern Syria.

In his article on The Guardian, Fisk added that the coordination aims to prevent mistakes between the Russian-backed and American-supported forces now facing each other across the Euphrates river.

"The proof could be found this week in a desert village of mud-walled huts and stifling heat – it was 48 degrees – where I sat on the floor of an ill-painted villa with a Russian air force colonel in camouflage uniform, a young officer of the Kurdish militia – with a YPG (Kurdish People's Militia) patch on his sleeve – and a group of Syrian officers and local Syrian tribal militiamen," the British columnist said.

"Their presence showed clearly that despite belligerent Western – especially American – claims that Syrian forces are interfering with the "Allied" campaign against Daesh, both sides are in reality going to enormous lengths to avoid confrontation," he added.

"Russian Colonel Yevgeni smiled politely but refused to talk to me, but his young Kurdish opposite number, who asked me not to disclose his name, insisted that "all of us are fighting in one campaign against Daesh, and that is why we have this center – and to avoid mistakes," Fisk said.

"The 24-year-old Kurdish YPG representative said that just over two weeks ago – after the latest Syrian offensive took Daesh forces west of Raqqa by surprise – a Russian air strike had mistakenly targeted a Kurdish position. 'That is why we set up our center here 10 days ago'," he added.