US wary of Putin's Syria troop, victory claims

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The United States says it has seen no evidence to back Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a major withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Officials have also deemed Putin's declaration of victory against ISIL as premature.

Marine Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman, said the United States had not observed any significant withdrawal since Putin’s announcement during a surprise visit on Monday to Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Syria.

Although he did not predict future moves, Rankine-Galloway said: “There have been no meaningful reductions in combat troops following Russia’s previous announcements planned departures from Syria.”

During his visit, Putin declared that the work of Russian forces was largely done in backing the Syrian government against militants in the country’s war following the defeat of “the most battle-hardened group of international terrorists.”

“We think the Russian declarations of ISIS' (ISIL) defeat are premature,” a White House National Security Council spokeswoman responded. “We have repeatedly seen in recent history that a premature declaration of victory was followed by a failure to consolidate military gains, stabilize the situation, and create the conditions that prevent terrorists from reemerging.”

US officials are challenging the Russian and Syrian portrayal of Syria as a country poised for peace once the final enclaves of the ISIL militant group are recaptured.

Syrian government forces, the officials said, are too few, too poor and too weak to secure the country. ISIL, and other militants in Syria, have ample opportunity to regroup, especially if the political grievances that drove the conflict remain unresolved, the officials said.

Acting Head of the Republic of Dagestan Vladimir Vasilyev speaks at the welcoming ceremony for the military police battalion as it comes back to Makhachkala from Syria on Tuesday. /VCG Photo

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Moscow’s past announcements of pullouts led to a recalibration of Russian forces.

“Russia has previously used claims of partial withdrawals in order to rotate out select units for refit-and-repair, remove redundant capabilities, and reinsert alternative weapons systems better suited for the next phase of pro-regime operations,” it wrote in a research note on Tuesday.

The US military still has around 2,000 troops in Syria and has announced that any withdrawal will be conditions-based, arguing a longer-term presence of American forces would be needed to ensure ISIL’s lasting defeat.

Russia’s announcement, however, suggested a different image of Syria in which foreign forces were becoming unnecessary. After turning the tide of the conflict in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s favor, Putin wants to help broker a peace deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses servicemen on a visit to the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria on Monday. /Reuters Photo

A senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the United States believed Assad would fail if he attempts to impose “victor’s peace.”

The odds of Syria breaking into a civil war again would be high without meaningful political reconciliation, the official said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday stressed the importance of a roadmap for peace, including elections that would allow voting by Syrians overseas who fled to the conflict.

“And it is our belief that through that process, the Assad regime will no longer be part of that leadership,” Tillerson said.

Source(s): Reuters