Assad, Russian defence chief meet in Damascus amid US concerns

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu met in Damascus on Saturday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss anti-terrorist "cooperation" in Syria's conflict, a bone of contention between Moscow and Washington.

Shoigu, the highest-ranking Russian official to travel to Syria since the conflict erupted five years ago, was sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the surprise meeting with Moscow's long-time ally Assad, the Syrian state news agency SANA said.

"The talks focused on military cooperation between the two countries and joint action to fight against terrorist organisations on Syrian soil," it said.

A US-Russian brokered ceasefire that began on 27 February has helped reduce hostilities. The Islamic State (IS) group and the al-Qaeda branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, are excluded from the truce.

In Moscow, the defence ministry said the discussions concerned "current questions of military and technical cooperation ... as well as certain aspects of the cooperation in the fight against terrorist groups operating in Syria".

The visit came a day after Putin suggested that some in the Syrian opposition could join the cabinet to help advance the stalled peace process, according to the Associated Press news agency.

The visit also came after a US defence department spokesman said Pentagon officials in a video conference with Russian counterparts had voiced "strong concerns" over Moscow's alleged bombing of US-backed forces in southern Syria.

US military officials "expressed strong concerns about the attack on the coalition-supported counter-ISIL [IS] forces at the Al-Tanaf garrison, which included forces that are participants in the cessation of hostilities in Syria", Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.

The Pentagon "emphasized that those concerns would be addressed through ongoing diplomatic discussions on the cessation of hostilities," he said.

US defence officials said Russian warplanes carried out raids in Al-Tanaf targeting a meeting of combatants supported by the US-led coalition that was held to coordinate the fight against IS militants in Syria and Iraq.

The Syrians belonged to the New Syrian Army, trained by the British and the Americans in a coalition camp in Jordan, while the Iraqis were tribal fighters, officials said.

Russia, however, said it had not carried out any strikes targeting opposition forces included in the ceasefire that excludes IS, without mentioning Al-Tanaf.

Putin said on Friday that creating a new government is key to ending the five-year conflict, the AP reported. He said that could be achieved through drafting a new constitution and holding elections.

The Russian leader also welcomed what he called a US proposal to "think about incorporating some opposition representatives in the existing government structures, including the Cabinet," AP reported. Putin added, however, that it would be "unrealistic" to expect that such a cabinet would effectively take over power from Assad.

Shoigu, whose country's military intervention since last September has turned the tide of the conflict in favour of Assad's government, also inspected Russia's air base in Hmeimim in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia, his ministry said.

The West has repeatedly accused Russian forces of also targeting Syrian rebels with air strikes in an effort to prop up the government.