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Vladimir Putin Orders Withdrawal Of Troops From Syria – ISIS Hasn’t Been ‘Completely Destroyed’ Or ‘Crushed’, But Peace Talks Need To Succeed

By Alap Naik Desai
Published on: 09:16 PST, Mar 14, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered withdrawal of Russia’s troops from Syria. The withdrawal doesn’t signify the complete destruction of ISIS.

Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of troops that were deployed in Syria. Though not a complete withdrawal, the surprise move may be intended to bolster the chances of peace talks that are currently going on. The Russian President voiced his hope that the partial withdrawal of troops will contribute to the success of Syria peace talks that began Monday in Geneva. A temporary ceasefire introduced on February 27 appears to be holding, despite sporadic instances of fighting.

Putin announced he had instructed the defense ministry to begin the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria through a televised meeting with Russia’s foreign and defense ministries. He was heard instructing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as follows.

“The task that was set before our defense ministry and armed forces has as a whole been completed and so I order the defense ministry to from tomorrow start the withdrawal of the main part of our military contingents from the Syrian Arab Republic.”

He said the Russian air campaign has allowed Syrian President Bashar Assad’s military to turn the tide of war and helped create conditions for peace talks, reported The Journal. He may have implied that his intentions to get involved in the war in Syria was to bolster the Assad-led government. For a long time, the United States has blamed Russia for merely helping the Syrian government and not actually fighting terrorism. Back then, Vladimir Putin had strongly refuted America’s perception on Russia’s strategy in Syria, calling the country “short-sighted and weak.”

However, the partial withdrawal is happening before the terrorist organization is “crushed,” a term used by Putin during his numerous charged speeches, right after a Russian warplane was downed. Back then, Putin had vowed Russia’s military would “immediately destroy” any target threatening them in Syria. While he was referring to Turkey, he had a special message for ISIS as well. He had warned his armed forces were ready to use “more military means” to obliterate Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, The Express reported.

The Kremlin announced through a statement that Vladimir Putin has called President Bashar al-Assad to inform Moscow’s long-standing ally of the surprise move that appears to end the main part of its intervention in Syria’s conflict that began in September, reports MSN.

“The leaders noted that the actions of the Russian airforce allowed to radically change the situation in the fight against terrorism, to disorganise the fighters’ infrastructure and inflict significant damage on them. Taking that into account, the President of Russia stated that the main tasks set before the armed forces of Russia in Syria had been completed. It was agreed to carry out the withdrawal of the main part of Russia’s airforce contingent.”

The news about the partial withdrawal was corroborated by Syria’s state news agency. The agency quoted President Bashar Assad as saying that the Russian military will draw down its air force contingent from Syria but won’t leave the country altogether, reported The Baltimore Sun. Interestingly, it seems Russia will ensure its air force is operational in the region for “monitoring the progress of a ceasefire and peace talks.” The Kremlin stressed that the Syrian government was quite appreciative of Russia.

“Assad noted the professionalism, courage and heroism of the officers of the Russian armed forces that took part in the military operations and expressed deep appreciation to Russia.”

It is seemingly apparent that Russia has been helping the Syrian government, once assumed to be crumbling under the rising might of the ISIS, to get the upper hand in the ongoing war. Perhaps now that the official administration is better equipped and powerful enough to negotiate terms, they could get a better deal?

[Photo by Mikhail Metzel/Getty Images]

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