U.S. troops in Syria interact with Russian troops in the region almost every day \u2014 and most of the interactions are not contentious, according to Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite recent reports of hostile situations, Ekman told reporters Wednesday such scenarios are rare, even though both forces conduct frequent convoys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe coexist in some of the same spaces,\u201d Ekman said. \u201cAs we do that, we abide by the deconfliction protocols. Whether it\u2019s on the ground or in the air, we see each other all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The comments come after Brett McGurk, the former special envoy to the counter-ISIS coalition, shared a video on Twitter that appears to depict a confrontation between U.S. and Russian troops in Syria. He tweeted U.S. troops are subjected to harassment from Russian troops on a \u201cdaily basis\u201d as he pressed President Donald Trump to \u201cpick up the phone and tell Putin to stop harassing our troops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat you might call harassment, which is, less than absolute professional conduct between the Russians and the U.S., occurs on rare occasions,\u201d Ekman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur goal is to make sure we abide by the deconfliction protocols, and that we make sure that none of those contacts become escalatory,\u201d Ekman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the U.S. announced it was cutting down on the number of troops it has in Syria last fall, Russia has stepped in and upped its presence<\/a> there. Politico also reported<\/a> in June that Russian troops are increasingly getting closer to U.S. troops in Syria as part of an effort aimed at pushing out U.S. troops from Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\t