Russia Begins Withdrawing Troops From Syria

Russia’s defense minister confirmed that Moscow has started pulling out some of its military personnel from Syria, after President Vladimir Putin announced the move during a surprise visit to a Russian military installation in the country. Moscow intervened in the conflict in September 2015 and has played an instrumental role, along with Iran, in turning the tide in favor of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The Russian president was met on Monday by Assad at the Hmeimim airbase near Latakia, which Putin said will be maintained “on a permanent basis” in addition to Moscow’s naval base at Tartus. Russia’s intervention has raised Putin’s status in the region while curbing the global isolation caused by its involvement in the conflict in east Ukraine, specifically the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported this week that Russian air strikes in Syria have killed 6,328 civilians, including 1,537 children. The UK-based watchdog has documented the deaths of nearly 350,000 people since the start of the uprising against Assad in 2011.