A member of al Qaeda's Nusra Front takes down a picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the northwestern city of Ariha, after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the area in Idlib province on May 29, 2015. Reuters/Ammar Abdullah
IBTimes: Assad’s Army May Be Losing Its Biggest Backers: Russia And Iran
Members of the Syrian opposition said Sunday as many as 100 Russian advisers have left the country, sending a worrying signal to President Bashar Assad: One of his top financial and military backers in the 4-year-old civil war may be backing out, leaving the teetering Syrian Army to fight almost entirely on its own. Regime forces are facing the Islamic State group and the increasingly powerful umbrella group known as Jaysh al-Fatah, which scored a major victory last week when it took over the northern province of Idlib, routing Assad’s soldiers.
The Russians left Syria -- on an airplane that took off from the regime-held city of Latakia in the southwestern part of the country -- on orders from their government, Saudi-backed newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported Sunday, citing sources with the Syrian opposition. That happened, the sources said, as Russia started meetings with gulf countries, seeking to boost economic ties to offset the impact of the sanctions the U.S. and European Union imposed on Russia for its intervention in the war in Ukraine.
WNU Editor: The departure of Russian advisers is a surprise .... and while I still do not think Moscow will abandon President Assad and his government outright, their exploration of other options is a development that must be disturbing for the Syrian government.
More News On Reports That Russia Is Scaling Back Its Support Of Syrian President Assad
Russia said scaling back its support for Assad -- Times of Israel
Russia reportedly pulling experts from Syria, in bid to save itself from sanctions -- Haaretz
Russia said abandoning Assad as Syria regime collapses further -- YNet News
Russia's U-Turn on Syria concern for Damascus' residents -- RFI
Russia Scales Back Aid to Syrian Govt, Withdraws Key Personnel -- Antiwar.com
2 comments:
WNU,
You guys haven't changed much from the old days, still pragmatic about losing hands.
If Assad falls, than Qatar and the Saudis will build a gas/oil pipeline to Europe through Syria. And Russia will lose the energy card it holds so firmly.
You can count on that happening exactly, never!
100 advisers are virtually nothing and likely just a rotation.
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