Russia is keeping the option of re-engaging open but the
withdrawal does encompass its fighting element. Russians now plan to monitor
the ceasefire rather than fight outright
The Kremlin has just published a shock announcement that Putin has ordered the withdrawal of most of the Russian strike force
from Syria.
The withdrawal is apparently slated to begin on Tuesday
15th March 2016.
The reason Putin has given for the decision is that with
the announcement of the truce and with the Syrian army reorganised and able to
conduct offensive operations on its own, the presence of the Russian strike
force is no longer needed.
It is clear that there will not be a total
withdrawal. Khmeimim air base will not be entirely abandoned and the
Russians will keep a presence in Syria sufficient to monitor the truce.
However that will most be done using aerial drones.
It is also clear that the Russians stand ready to return
to Syria if the need arises.
No-one predicted this announcement, which makes a total
nonsense of Western claims that Russia has become bogged down in a quagmire in
Syria. As for the claim that Putin is deliberately bombing Syrians in
order to flood Europe with refugees so as to destabilise Merkel, that claim is
now exposed as the utter absurdity that it is.
That will not however prevent Western commentators from
finding some way to twist this announcement to suit their “Putin is Evil”
narrative. We look forward to seeing over the next few days the Western
media and Western governments engaging in more contortions of logic as they try
to explain this announcement.
Meanwhile the latest information says that the newly
reinvigorated Syrian army - strengthened by Russian arms supplies and training
and reinforced with fresh troops from Iran - is pressing ahead with its
offensives against Aleppo, Palmyra, Idlib and Raqqa.
The Russian intervention totally changed the dynamic of
the war. As Putin proudly said in his announcement, it is rare for such a
small force to make such a decisive difference in a conflict in such a short
time.
Russian efforts will now - at least for the moment -
focus more on diplomatic than military action, leaving such fighting as needs
to be done to the Syrians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an order to
begin withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria starting from March 15.
"I think that the tasks set to the defense ministry
are generally fulfilled. That is why I order to begin withdrawal of most of our
military group from Syria starting from tomorrow," Putin said on Monday at
a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov.
In Putin's words, during their operation in Syria,
Russian military have demonstrated professionalism and teamwork, having
performed all the set tasks.
"Besides, our military, soldiers and officers
demonstrated professionalism, teamwork and ability to organize combat work far
away from their territory, having no common borders with the theater of
war," he said.
Russian bases in Syria’s Tartus and Khmeimim are to
continue operating in routine regime, the president went on to say.
"Our bases — the naval base in Tartus and the
airbase at the Khmeimim airfield — will operate in a routine mode.
They are to
be safely protected from the land, from the sea and from air," he told the
defense and foreign ministers.
Those Russian servicemen who will stay in Syria will be
engaged in monitoring the ceasefire regime, Putin added.
The Russian president said he hopes the start of the
withdrawal of Russian troops will become a good motivation for launching
negotiations between political forces of that country and instructed the
foreign minister to intensify Russia’s participation in organization of peace
process in Syria.
"I hope today’s decision will be a good signal for
all conflicting parties. I hope it will sizably increase trust of all
participants in the process," the president said. "I ask the
Russian Foreign Ministry to intensify Russia’s participation in organizing the
peace process to solve the Syrian problem," he added.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin has
discussed and coordinated the decision on the beginning of withdrawal of
Russia's forces from Syria with Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad.
"Everything voiced at the meeting [of Putin,
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu] was told our
Syrian colleagues and coordinated with president [Bashar] Assad," Peskov
said.
Source: Russia Insider 16-03-2016
