Russian airstrikes have accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11 others in northern Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed. A Russian warplane hit a building housing Turkish soldiers in Al-Bab at 8:40 am local time, the Hurriyet Daily reports citing Ankara’s statement. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences over the accidental loss of life in the airstrike, in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

The head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, also talked on the phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, expressing his condolences over the incident.

The warplanes were targeting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) sites in the al-Bab area, Gerasimov said in a statement.

more at: rt.com