Despite having been on opposite sides of the battle lines during the civil war, the new rulers in Damascus, headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharra, have taken a pragmatic approach to relations with Moscow.

Russia's top diplomat has met with Syria's new foreign minister for talks in Moscow during the first formal visit by a Syrian official since President Bashar Assad was ousted last year despite years of Russian support.

The United States has repatriated an American child from a large camp in northeastern Syria. The camp houses tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to the Islamic State group.

Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, where tens of thousands of mostly women and children linked to the Islamic State group have