For the first time: The US didn’t notify Russia of their two strikes in northern Syria

A US official said that the United States didn’t notify the Russian side of the landing operation that it carried out in the countryside of Hasakah governorate, and the strike that followed, which resulted in the killing of leaders of the “Islamic State” organization.

The official added to “CBS News” network, Friday: “For the first time in a long time, the United States didn’t use its non-conflict phone line with Russia to notify them of the raid and presence of American forces there”.

“The lack of conflict was a consequence of operational security, not a reaction to Russia’s war on Ukraine,” he added.

The US and Russia have used the “DE-confliction line” to avoid any potential incidents when US forces are in the northeastern region of Syria, where Russian forces are also operating.

During the past 24 hours, the US military announced the killing of three senior leaders of the “Islamic State” organization, in two separate military operations in northern Syria, including a rare land landing in areas under the control of the Syrian army, in the countryside of Hasakah.

According to US officials, the Special Operations forces carried out a raid near a village in the Qamishli countryside, which resulted in the killing of a fighter, “Rakan al Shammari”, and the injury of another, and the arrest of two.

Later on Thursday, the United States launched an airstrike in northern Syria, killing “Abu Ala,” the group’s number two leader, and Abu Maad al Qahtani, another leader, the officials said.

The United States still has about 900 soldiers in Syria, “to advise and assist the Syria Democratic Forces in the fight against the Islamic State”.

These forces are deployed in separate areas of Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir al Zour governorates, as well as the Russian forces, which are also deployed in some locations in eastern Syria.

Russia has worked to establish a hotline for communication between its military forces and the rest of the foreign parties present on Syrian territory, since it announced the start of military operations in Syria.

This hotline wasn’t limited to one party or the other, but targeted everyone from northern Syria, where the Turkish forces are located, all the way to the south with the Israeli side, and in the north and east, where American forces are deployed.