Ending its presence in a region where the al-Shara government is attempting to gain control from Kurdish forces, Russia is withdrawing its troops from an airport in northeastern Syria. Moscow has maintained forces at Qamishli airport in the northeast since 2019. This was a relatively small deployment compared to its airbase and naval facility on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, which it is expected to retain. The news of the withdrawal was reported to Reuters by five Syrian sources.
In recent weeks, government forces under President Ahmed al-Shara have captured areas of northern and eastern Syria previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, as Damascus aims to impose its authority across the entire country. The fragile ceasefire between the sides was extended on Saturday for 15 days.
Syria: Transfer of Russian soldiers and equipment
Two of the sources reported that Russian forces began a gradual withdrawal from Qamishli airport last week. Some of these forces are expected to be transferred to western Syria while others will return to Russia, said one of the sources at the Russian Khmeimim air base.
Another source from security forces on Syria’s western coast stated that Russian military vehicles and heavy weapons have been transferred from Qamishli to Khmeimim air base over the past two days.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry. The Russian daily newspaper Kommersant wrote last week, citing an anonymous Syrian source, that the Syrian government may ask Russian forces to leave the base once it expels the Kurds, because “the Russians have nothing to do there.”
A Reuters correspondent saw today that Russian flags still remain at Qamishli airport, where two aircraft with Russian markings were parked on the runway.
Russia remains Syria’s ally even after Assad’s fall
Russia, a close ally of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has built ties with Shara since the Islamist president took power approximately 14 months ago.
Shara told Russian President Vladimir Putin last year that he would honor all previous agreements reached between Damascus and Moscow, a commitment suggesting that Moscow’s two main military bases in Syria are secure.
