The top U.S. general told lawmakers on September 22 that he does not believe it would be wise to share intelligence with Russia in Syria should Washington and Moscow work together to fight Islamist extremists in the war-torn country.
General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remarks in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the same day that the United States and Russia failed to reach an agreement on salvaging a shattered cease-fire in Syria.
He said the U.S. military does not intend to engage in intelligence-sharing with Russia, which Washington is accusing of failing to make a serious effort to rescue a cease-fire deal reached earlier this month that included the possibility of jointly targeting extremists in Syria.
"I do not believe it would be a good idea to share intelligence with the Russians," Dunford told the committee, though he did not elaborate.
The text of one of several documents related to the cease-fire, published by the State Department on September 22, said Washington and Moscow would "share intelligence and develop actionable targets for military action" against the Al-Qaeda-linked group previously known as the Al-Nusra Front.
The text also called for "independent but synchronized efforts" to battle the Islamic State group.