Syria deconfliction zones ‘not dead’ despite Deir ez-Zor incident – Tillerson

‘The incident near Deir ez-Zor during which US-backed opposition forces were allegedly injured by a Russian airstrike did not derail the US-Russia deconfliction agreement, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, adding that both countries remain committed to the process.

Despite what was presented as a major setback in communication between Moscow and Washington in Syria last week, the US military accused their Russian counterparts of hitting US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in an Islamic State-held area in the eastern part of Deir ez-Zor. However, the deconfliction mechanism has not ceased to exist, Tillerson said at the meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria Group that took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York on Monday.’

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