Roundup: U.S. asks to "deconflict" with Russia in Syria

The White House on Wednesday reiterated the need for the United States and Russia to "deconflict" their air operations inside Syria as Russia started its first round of airstrikes in the country.

"Both presidents agreed that it was a priority, for both countries, that tactical, practical conversations between our militaries take place to ensure that our military activities inside Syria are properly deconflicted," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday. "That continues to be a priority."

"The U.S. military officials have been in touch with their Russian counterparts already to set up those discussions," Earnest added.

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday the the U.S. military was to open lines of communication with Russia for this purpose.

"We expect the details of those conversations, including the exact timing of those conversations, will be worked out in the coming day," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook at a press briefing.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its air forces carried out 20 sorties during the first round of airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, hitting eight targets, including a command center.

In a statement issued Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said a Russian official informed the U.S. Embassy in Iraq prior to Russia's first airstrikes in Syria and warned the United States to avoid Syrian airspace.

"The U.S.-led coalition will continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria as planned and in support of our international mission to degrade and destroy ISIL," Kirby said in a statement, referring to the group by another acronym.

Meanwhile, media reports said U.S. carried out an airstrike on Wednesday against IS targets in the vicinity of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Skeptical about Russia's intention in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday: "We would have grave concerns should Russia strike areas where ISIL and al-Qaida-affiliated targets are not operating."

"Strikes of that kind would question Russia's real intentions fighting ISIL or protecting the Assad regime," said Kerry at a meeting on countering terrorism at the United Nations.

Kerry said his country supports "any genuine effort" to fight the IS and al-Qaida-affiliated groups.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government is a long-time ally of Russia.

In defending the operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that "the only true way to combat international terrorism, which is rampant in Syria and its neighboring countries, is to act preemptively."

The Pentagon on Wednesday called Russia's airstrikes in Syria "contradictory" to their position of fighting extremism in Syria.

"I want to be careful about confirming information, but it does appear that they (Russian airstrikes) were in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces," Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a news conference.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said earlier on Wednesday that Russia's military operations targeted only IS targets.

"Strikes would be carried out against the military equipment, communication centers, transport vehicles, arms depots, ammunition as well as fuels and lubricant materials of IS terrorists," Russia's Interfax news agency cited Konashenkov as saying.

Commenting on whether the Russian military strike would shift the dynamics to the political process of Syria, White House spokesman Earnest said "it's hard to tell".

"If Russia uses its military inside of Syria to prop up the Assad regime, that will make a political transition more difficult," Earnest said.

Earnest claimed that "there is no military solution that can be imposed by Russia or anybody else onto Syria, and the root of this problem can only be solved with the kind of political transition that results in President Assad leaving power."

Syria is currently scrambling to deal with a civil war and insurgency of the IS. According to the UN refugee agency, over 4 million Syrian refugees have had to flee the country to date. Endi