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Reports: Russia pulling out of Syria
Russia to withdraw forces from Syria
Story highlights
- "The point is he (Putin) has no right to be in be our country in the first place. Just go," says opposition spokesman
- Russian forces will begin pulling out Tuesday, state-run news agency says
- Military effort has "achieved its goal," agency quotes Vladimir Putin as saying
(CNN)Russian
President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that he has ordered Russian
forces to begin withdrawing from Syria, saying they have achieved their
goals in the country.
The pullback will begin Tuesday, the state-run Sputnik news agency reported.
"I
think that the task that was assigned to the Ministry of Defense and
the armed forces as a whole has achieved its goal, and so I order the
defense minister to start tomorrow withdrawing the main part of our
military factions from the Syrian Arab Republic," Putin said.
Russia began airstrikes in September in support of the Syrian government in a civil war that is now nearly 5 years old.
Putin discussed the decision with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a telephone call.
"The
two leaders noted that the operations conducted by Russia's Aerospace
Forces have brought about a real turnabout in the fight against the
terrorists in Syria, throwing their infrastructure into disarray and
causing them substantial damage," the Kremlin said.
"In
this context, Mr. Putin said that Russia's Armed Forces have fulfilled
their main mission in Syria and a timetable for the withdrawal of the
Aerospace Forces' main air grouping has been agreed. Russia will
maintain an aviation support centre in Syria in order to monitor
compliance with the ceasefire."
Assad
"noted the professionalism, courage and heroism of the Russian service
personnel who took part in the military operations, and expressed his
profound gratitude to Russia for providing such substantial help in
fighting terrorism and providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian
population," the Kremlin said.
Military
analysts said the Russian intervention helped push back rebel and ISIS
forces and bolster the position of Assad, whose government, for a time,
appeared to be teetering on the edge.
"Nobody
knows what is in Putin's mind, but the point is he has no right to be
in be our country in the first place. Just go," said a spokesman for the
main Syrian opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee.
The announcement of the withdrawal comes the same day as Syrian peace talks resumed in Geneva,
Switzerland, and some see it as evidence that Putin is sending a
message to Syrian and other forces in the region to reach a political
solution, CNN's Matthew Chance reported from Moscow.
"If
a Russian troop withdrawal materializes, it would put President Assad
under pressure to finally seriously negotiate a peaceful political
transition in Geneva that would ensure the continuation of a Syrian
state," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Said CNN's Chance: "You can't ignore the timing of this and the symbolism."
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