The Turkish military says three of its soldiers were accidentally killed and 11 others wounded by a Russian air strike in northern Syria.

The Kremlin said in a statement on February 9 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed his condolences via phone to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "in connection with the tragic incident" involving Turkish soldiers killed near the city of Al-Bab.

The soldiers were in a building that was hit by an air strike from a Russian warplane, a Turkish military statement said.

The Kremlin said the two leaders agreed during their phone call to "increase coordination along military lines during the operation in Syria against fighters from [the Islamic State group] and other extremist organizations."

The Russian Defense Ministry said that along with stepping up cooperation in conducting military operations in Syria, the two countries would also share information.

Russia supports troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who are battling IS militants and other armed groups who want to oust Assad.

Turkey is also fighting extremist Islamic groups in Syria but supports the moderate opposition groups trying to overthrow the Syrian government.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters