The commander in charge of U.S. air operations in the Middle East says the United States and Russia have communicated more via an established military hotline as the air space around Islamic State territory in Syria has become more crowed.
"We have had to increase the amount of deconfliction work we are doing with the Russians, given the tighter airspace that we are now working ourselves through," Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian told reporters Wednesday.
The communication hotline was created between Russia and the U.S. several months ago to avoid potential mishaps and misunderstandings in the sky over Syria. Islamic State has been reduced from its peak of about 30,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria to current estimates of fewer than 15,000.
Harrigian confirmed the U.S. has established deconfliction zones around U.S. military personnel inside Syria, adding that Russian movement within these areas is restricted to protect American and U.S.-backed forces.