Hotline between US and Russia could help avoid direct clash, but risk of an accident remainsSyria: what is 'deconfliction' and what form might US strikes take? The deconfliction hotline, established in 2016 between US central command in Qatar and its Russian equivalent in Syria, has on occasion been shut down due to disputes between Moscow and Washington. The prospect of imminent US-led strikes on the Syrian regime in response to Saturday’s chemical weapons attack outside Douma puts a great deal of pressure on the deconfliction process. But it is not possible simply to dust down those plans because of the presence of roughly 2,000 Russian troops, who have been stationed in Syria since 2015. Further complicating the battleground picture, Iran and its militia backers have increased and entrenched their forces in Syria since 2013.

Source: The Guardian April 12, 2018 15:45 UTC