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Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Russia Pulling Out Troops From Syria, What's Next? Five Things You Should Know

Russia Pulling Out Troops From Syria, What's Next? Five Things You Should
Know
18:39 12.12.2017(updated 18:53 12.12.2017)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201712121059937958-russia-withdrawal-syria-facts/

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of Russian
forces from Syria, after completing their task to destroy Daesh. Sputnik
provides details about the pullout and Russia’s interactions with Syria in
the future.

During his first ever visit to the Hmeymim airbase in Syria, President Putin
praised the work of the Russian Aerospace Forces as brilliant and said
Russian forces were "returning home with a victory." As the Syrian conflict
is gradually nearing its end questions inevitably arise about what this
withdrawal will mean. Here are the answers to some of them.

Does this mean the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria?

Apparently, this is not exactly what will happen. There are two military
facilities that Russia operates in the country – the Tartus naval facility,
established in 1971, and the Hmeymim airbase, used for airstrikes since
2015. In January 2017, Moscow and Damascus signed an agreement on the
deployment of a Russia Aerospace Forces group at Hmeymim for 49 years. The
deal also presumes the deployment of 11 Russian warships at the Tartus
facility. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the timetable of the
pullout will depend on the situation on the ground.

Daesh is destroyed, but is the conflict over?

Despite the fact that the Russian forces have completed their mission to
eliminate the terror group from Syria, some isolated hotbeds of extremism
still exist. A number of military groups are still active in Syria,
including al-Nusra Front. One of the remaining hotbeds is the Governorate of
Idlib, controlled by al-Nusra Front, where Turkish forces and the Free
Syrian Army (FSA) have recently been fighting militants. There is also no
final agreement between numerous opposition groups in Syria.

Could Russia return to the Syrian battlefield?

Despite the ordered withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, the possibility
of new Russian military actions against terrorists in the country is not off
the table. When announcing his order, President Putin said Monday that if
the terrorists "lift up their head" in Syria, Russian forces will carry out
strikes the likes of which "they've never seen."

What about the peace process?

As Daesh is no longer the principal threat in Syria, oppositions groups and
representatives of the legitimate government now have a better chance to
reach some sort of understanding. The recent round of peace talks in Geneva,
however, ended with mutual accusations. The next round of the Astana peace
talks, brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey, will be held on December 21-22.
These three countries remain a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria.

Russia's out, but who is left?

As Russia is preparing to withdraw its forces from Syria, other Damascus
allies, including Hezbollah and Iran’s special forces, will keep their
presence on Syria’s soil. Other foreign actors, including Turkey and the
US-led international coalition, which involves the United States, France,
Germany, Spain and others, continue operations in Syria. As their
involvement has not been authorized by Damascus, it is difficult to suggest
when they may pull out.

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