Joint or not so joint US-Russian airstrikes on ISIS?

Russian Interfax also reported that various ISIS storage facilities, and militants were eliminated in the “joint strike”.

The Pentagon quickly responded on Monday with spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway telling reporters that “there is no military-to-military coordination for airstrikes over targets in Syria,” but according to the Pentagon only “deconflicting” communication to prevent unforseen incidents.

But Sputnik reported on Monday that Russia had received coordinates of ISIS targets in Al-Bab, Aleppo Province, from the US via a “direct line” citing the Russian Defense Minsitry.

The United States provided coordinates of ISIS wherabouts and after the reconaissance, Russia and two coalition jets conducted joint airstrikes on the Daesh targets in the region.

“On January 22, the Russian command center at the Hmeymim airbase has received coordinates of Daesh targets in Al-Bab, Aleppo province, via the ‘direct line’ from the US-led coalition headquarters. After further data verification with the assistance of unmanned aircraft and space reconaissance, the Russian Aerospace Forces and two jets of the international coalition have conducted airstrikes on the terrorists’ targets,” the statement said.

Russia had conducted the joint strikes together with Turkish warplanes, Sputnik reported. “On January 21, the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Turkish Air Force conducted a new joint operation striking Daesh group near Al-Bab in the province of Aleppo,” the ministry said.

The missions involved three Russian planes, including two Su-24M and a Su-34 aircraft, and four Turkish planes, including two F-16 and two F-4 fighter-bombers, according to the Russian MoD.

Al-Bab is one of the last remaining strongholds belonging to ISIS near the Turkish border. Capturing the city is of strategic importance to Turkey in order to prevent the Syrian Kurds declaring an independent state.