US, Turkish army chiefs discuss Syria in phone call

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) – U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford spoke with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar by phone Friday, according to the Pentagon.

"The two leaders discussed the current security environment in Syria and the Middle East in addition to other mutual items of interest," Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Patrick S. Ryder said in a press statement.

"They additionally discussed ways to strengthen cooperation to address security concerns facing our nations," he said.

Ryder also emphasized that Gen. Dunford and Gen. Akar had met multiple times as part of maintaining regular communications between NATO allies.