Turkey, Syria sign deal to 'coordinate' Syria strikes

Ankara: Turkey and Russia have signed an agreement to establish mechanisms and coordination during their operations against "terrorist targets" in war-torn Syria, the Turkish Army has said.

The meetings were held in Moscow on Thursday between the Russian and Turkish military representatives to ensure the flight security and prevent unwanted incidents during operations in Syria, Hurriyet daily reported.

Moscow and Ankara agreed to back a ceasefire in December between the Syrian government and rebel groups which went into effect on December 30 and was observed in vast parts of the country, though clashes continued to rock areas near Damascus.

Russia began hitting the Islamic State (IS) positions near northern Syrian city of al-Bab.

Moscow's support came after Turkey criticized the US-led international coalition for not backing its military offensive against IS.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are also likely to meet in February during a High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) meeting, the Daily Sabah reported citing a diplomatic source.