iStock/Thinkstock(AL-BAB, Syria) — Three Turkish soldiers were killed, and 11 others wounded by a Russian air strike in northern Syria, BBC News reports. The strike hit a building near the town of al-Bab that the Russians mistakenly thought contained Islamic State fighters, Turkey’s military said.
The military’s statement characterized the fatal strike as an “accident,” and said that both countries are participating in a joint investigation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences over what he called a “tragic incident”, according to a statement released by the Kremlin.
Russia and Turkey support opposing sides in the ongoing Syrian civil war, but both countries have been participating in joint airstrikes on Islamic State militants in the area.
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