Russian and French military chiefs discuss cooperation in fight against IS

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Chief of Russian General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov has discussed cooperation in the fight against Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh) with his French counterpart General Pierre de Villiers, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The telephone talks took place on Wednesday, at the initiative of the French side, the ministry said in a statement released on its website.

“In the course of the telephone conversation an exchange of opinions took place on the situation and future cooperation perspectives in the fight against the terrorist group IS in Syria,” the statement said, adding that Gerasimov and de Villiers agreed to maintain contact.

France is part of an US-led international coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria since September 2014.

Paris intensified its air attacks after IS, prohibited in many countries including Russia, claimed responsibility for the Nov.

13 terror acts that left over 100 people dead in the French capital.

Russia has been conducting airstrikes against the jihadist group in Syria since September, at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

French President Francois Hollande and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to coordinate their anti-terrorism efforts last week, during the French leader’s visit to Moscow.