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Russia and the War in Syria Moscow Steps up Military Presence in Syria

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Russia and the War in Syria Moscow Steps up Military Presence in Syria September 25, 2015 3 Special Focus Russia and the war in Syria Moscow steps up military presence in Syria The Arab Weekly staff Syrian opposition figures and rebel from Turkey and Saudi Arabia to groups dismiss the moves as yet an- serve as the ground forces of the other bid to prop up the regime of US-led coalition. Beirut President Bashar Assad. Some observers say Russia wants Four Russian-made fighter jets the alliance to give the Syrian Army ussia has significantly launched more than a dozen air pride of place because it is familiar ramped up its military strikes against the city of Raqqa on with the demographics and geogra- presence in war-torn September 17th, where the city’s phy of the areas where battles with Syria under the aegis of weary inhabitants were already ISIS are raging and because the fighting Islamic State reeling from months of sorties by regime has sleeper cells in those R(ISIS) jihadists, providing advanced both the Syrian regime and the in- places. air and ground weapons that the ternational coalition mobilised to Syrian Army was quick to employ fight ISIS. Opposition figures against the notorious group. But Hospital sources said 37 people, stress that Russia mostly women and children, were has been heavily killed and 65 others wounded. Lo- cal observers said the firepower involved in the war involved was significantly greater for several years than that previously used by the regime. Entire city blocks were pul- While some opposition figures verised by the new aircraft. stress that Russia has been heav- According to Syrian political ily involved in the war for several sources, the regime has begun us- years, the recent moves do contain ing new Russian weaponry in La- new elements. takia province, where battles have Mustafa Seijari, a member of the raged between regime troops and Revolution Leadership Council in opposition gunmen. Syria, told The Arab Weekly that On the same day of the Raqqa air “what’s happening today repre- strikes, social media accounts close sents a new policy by Russia, name- to the Syrian Army’s 4th Division ly acting openly”. led by Major-General Maher Assad, “Either the Syrian regime is about Israel-Russia angle. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu the brother of the Syrian president, to collapse, which prompted the and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in Moscow, claimed that “new Russian weap- Russians to announce that they on September 21st, means to avoid clashes between the two ons have now become operational, would be protecting their interests militaries’ planes in Syria. beginning in Raqqa, to be used in in Syria or Russia is part of the in- eliminating the terrorists of ISIS”. ternational policy of dividing the country and wants its share of the involves no Russian forces on the surveying and digging — supervised Four Russian-made cake, in an open and obvious fash- ground. There are only experts who by individuals in civilian dress. fighter jets launched ion, by telling everyone, ‘This part train Syrian soldiers on the weap- The activity has an echo in Lata- is mine’,” he said. ons provided based on agreements kia province to the north at the Bas- more than a dozen Opposition sources say Moscow’s signed between Moscow and Da- sel Assad airport. air strikes against move towards a more direct role mascus prior to the Syrian crisis.” Again, residents spoke of the city of Raqqa on came after successive setbacks for Some Syrian rebel groups are stepped-up construction activity the Syrian Army, as both Russia and openly dismissive of Moscow’s over the last two months. September 17th Iran seek to salvage their ally — the gambit. Bassam Hajji Mustafa, a po- An employee, who gave his name former by providing weapons, the litical official from the Noureddine as Kamal, said the airport was di- Syrian opposition sources main- latter through manpower. al-Zenki Brigade, a leading militia vided into two sections — one for tain that while Russian President Arab sources familiar with the active in Aleppo, called it a “stupid receiving passengers and civilian Vladimir Putin is trying to court the conflict said that during a visit to move that will end quickly — like flights to and from other Syrian cit- West by entering the fight against Iran earlier this year, Syrian De- the end of the Soviet occupation of ies, while the purpose of the sec- ISIS, the move is a bid to shore up fence Minister General Fahd Jassem Afghanistan or the situation of Ser- ond is unknown and shrouded in the legitimacy of his ally Assad, al-Freij requested 30,000 fighters, bia during the Bosnia-Herzegovina secrecy. whose forces have incurred signifi- while the Iranians agreed to send conflict”. Although some of Russia’s cant losses in recent months. 100,000. However, this offer was One of the most talked-about ar- stepped-up presence is being kept During a meeting in Moscow two rejected because “100,000 would eas of Russia’s stepped-up involve- secret, the developments are im- months ago with Syrian Foreign mean that Syria was occupied by ment is on the Syrian coast. possible to hide; a Russian media Minister Walid Muallem, Putin ad- Iran”. Several locals, who declined to be delegation that recently inter- vocated forming an international A high-ranking Syrian Army of- identified due to the sensitivity of viewed Assad also visited the coast anti-ISIS alliance in which Syr- ficer told The Arab Weekly that the matter, talked about the steady and met with Russian soldiers at ian regime forces would join troops “our close cooperation with Russia build-up near Banias — primarily the Tartus naval facility. Putin complicates Ankara’s calculations Thomas Seibert crisis was “unlikely to bring peace as the Syrian president. So far, Ankara has been deter- there” in Syria, he said. long as Assad remains in power”. But in the weeks that followed, mined not to let the Syrian issue Moscow’s second aim in Syria was The Kremlin has called for Syrian Russia has sent additional military spoil bilateral ties with Moscow, to secure Russian influence in the Istanbul government troops as well as Iran, hardware and advisers to Syria af- especially in trade. But the arrival Middle East by preventing Assad’s Assad’s other regional ally, to join ter the Assad government suffered of modern Russian weapons in As- defeat on the battlefield, Imadi said. rowing military support the fight against the Islamic State setbacks against ISIS and other rebel sad’s arsenals is directly challeng- “The military aid is in fact a political by Russia for Turkey’s (ISIS), which occupies parts of east- groups. Moscow says it is ready to ing Turkey’s goals in Syria and could step” by Russia, he added. “If Assad arch foe, Syria’s President ern and north-eastern Syria. The send ground troops as well if Syria lead to Turkish-backed rebels com- falls, Russia loses its influence in the Bashar Assad, is likely to West is concerned that Russia might were to ask for a Russian contingent. ing under pressure by a regime army region.” make it harder for Ankara be preparing to enter the Syrian war. Erdogan recently told a television strengthened by Russian-made Another strategic aim by Moscow Gto realise its own aims in the war- For years, Erdogan tried to loosen interviewer he was “shocked” by hardware. There have been reported was to make sure Russia would “get torn country on its southern border. Russia’s support for Assad and was, Putin’s actions after his face-to-face sightings of Russian fighter jets in a seat at the table” when and if in- Turkey says the removal of Assad until very recently, convinced he meeting with Putin in June and was the north-western Syrian province ternational powers come together from power is a precondition for a was making headway. The Turkish trying to understand the Russian ap- of Idlib, which borders Turkey. to decide Syria’s future, Imadi said. lasting solution to the conflict in president in August said that Putin proach. Erdogan said Putin’s public Cenk Baslamis, a Turkish journal- Putin also wants to make sure Rus- Syria but Russia backs Assad. An es- was no longer completely deter- stance on Syria did not match state- ist specialising in Turkish-Russian sia keeps its navy base in the Syr- timated 320,000 people have been mined to prop up Assad at all cost ments the Russian president made relations, told the Haberturk news- ian port of Tartus, the only Russian killed and millions have been driven and that Russia might “give up” on behind closed doors. paper that ties have been “overshad- Navy installation on the Mediterra- from their homes. Turkey has taken owed” by Russia’s show of strength nean. in close to 2 million Syrian refugees. in Syria. Baslamis and other observ- The stepped-up presence by Rus- Attempts to reconcile contrasting ers say it is unlikely that Russian sia in Syria could affect Turkey’s approaches by Turkey and Russia troops will fight rebels alongside As- own plans for the region, including have failed. Referring to the Rus- sad’s military. the creation of a so-called safe zone sian position that the people of Syria on Syrian territory. With Russia get- should decide Assad’s future role, The stepped-up ting more involved militarily and es- Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun presence by Russia tablishing an airbase near the Syrian Sinirlioglu told the state-run Anad- port of Latakia, chances for the crea- olu news agency on September 18th in Syria could affect tion of the buffer zone are diminish- that Syrians had made that choice Turkey’s own plans ing, observers say.
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