Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) sent condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a Russian airstrike killed three Turkish soldiers. Russia and Turkey recently joined forces to bomb Islamic State targets, though they support opposing sides in Syria's civil war. File Photo by Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Pool/Kremlin/EPA

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Turkey's government after a Russian airstrike killed three Turkish soldiers near northern Syria's al-Bab town.

Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via telephone on Thursday to apologize. The Turkish soldiers were supporting the Free Syrian Army in its efforts to rid the Islamic State from al-Bab.


The Turkish military said the Russian bombing was an "accident." The Russian aircraft bombed a building where some Turkish soldiers were deployed.

"Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences over the tragic incident which resulted in the deaths of several Turkish soldiers near the town of al-Bab," the Kremlin said in a statement. "They agreed on enhancing coordination on the military side in Syria during operations against [Islamic State] militants and other extremist organizations."

The Kremlin said it hopes to resolve the Syrian civil war through political mediation. Putin and Erdogan also discussed cooperation in trade and the economy.

Russia and Turkey recently combined efforts to bomb Islamic State targets, though Russia supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey supports Syrian rebels, including the Free Syrian Army.