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Putin: Russian operations in Syria paid off

March 18, 2016 at 10:17 am

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that his country’s operations in Syria have contributed to cutting off supply routes to terrorists and wiped out a large number of them.

“We have done a great job to strengthen the Syrian government and support its army to eradicate terrorism,” Putin said during a ceremony to honour Russian troops who returned from Syria, stressing that his country will continue to provide military and financial support to the Syrian regime.

The Russian president noted that “armed groups that do not fight the Syrian government forces will not be subject to military operations,” stressing that “after reaching a ceasefire between the regime and the opposition the Russian raids have decreased”.

Putin revealed that keeping the Russian forces in Syria “has become costly and unjustified” therefore he decided to “withdraw them” pointing out that “the remaining troops’ mission is to monitor the ceasefire and support the political process.”

“We can bring back our troops to Syria within a few hours, but this is not the optimal choice at the current stage,” he said, stressing that “the Russian troops which remain in Syria can maintain the balance of power there.”

According to the president, the Russian Air Force has conducted more than 9,000 sorties in Syria.