The United States and Russia held a conversation over the possibility of increasing cooperation in ending the five-year civil war in Syria, which has led to the death of 400,000 people. The US secretary of state John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov spoke over the phone Saturday about cooperation in the fight against terror groups in Syria, according to a statement released by the Russian ministry of foreign affairs. "The discussion was about the options for settling the Syrian conflict, including the possibility of Russian-US cooperation in the fight against terrorist groups active in Syria," the statement read. US media reported last month that the US president Barack Obama proposed an offer to improve military cooperation with Russia against terrorists in Syria. Russia is fighting terror groups such as Islamic State (IS) and Al-Nusra Front in Syria, but the US believes that Moscow is also fighting other opposition groups. 40 people were killed in attacks by the Syrian army in a village northeast of Damascus one day after the opposition killed a Syrian pilot. A ceasefire backed by Russia and the US came into effect on 27February. According to Russia, the agreement does not include IS and Al-Nusra Front. Since September 2014, a US-led coalition has been attacking locations held by Al-Nusra, Jund Al-Aqsa, IS, and Ahrar Ash-Sham inside Syria. Geneva peace talks between representatives of the Assad regime and opposition forces stalled earlier this month when the opposition suspended its participation. The decision came after the regime's delegation refused to discuss a political transition. The opposition's proposal entailed the formation of a transition council. However, the Assad regime advocated enfolding opposition members into the government without displacing the current Syrian president.
