Agendas Within Agendas
"On average, Russian planes are flying 20 to 25 combat sorties each day."
"I want to emphasize that Russia's air force will continue to conduct airstrikes against the terrorist organizations Islamic State and Nusra Front in Syrian territory. [The withdrawal of forces is moving forward] according to schedule."
General Sergey Rudskoi, Moscow General Staff, Russian Federation
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| © Sputnik/ Alexei Druzhinin |
"It appears the Russians have conducted some air strikes after all in southern Syria in the vicinity of Palmyra in support of the Syrian regime."Russian President Vladimir V. Putin appears well satisfied with his country's venture into the Middle East quagmire that is Syria, and no doubt relieved as well to now extricate Moscow from that vicious swamp of tribal sectarian hatred. Its cost not yet too onerous and its outcome as planned. Not that he would have lost any sleep over the carnage that his own warplanes wreaked on a conflict-weary population, killing thousands of Syrians in addition to those that the Syrian regime has slaughtered.
"We assessed that the majority if not all of their strike aircraft have left."
US spokesman Patrick Ryder
But in the process of aiding a friend, securing an airbase and a deep-sea harbour for his fleet of ships and aircraft, and retaining a permanent staff on both sites to make it quite clear that Russia is back and means to remain where it can exert some element of control in the region, the Russian President has assured his own nation that the Russia they had mourned as having been lost to the misfortunes of historical events, now has a secure and influential place on the world stage.
No need to fret, should the pullout prove to have been precipitous, since Mr. Putin assures the forces could be reassembled within "a few hours" if need be. This is after all, technically the 21st Century. And Russia is prepared to continue dedicating its resources to aid Bashar al Assad's military in its noble intentions to pacify a rebellious hinterland of ungrateful Sunni Syrians, whatever is left of them, and at this point, not anything to be compared with the country when it was yet whole, since half the population has fled elsewhere in the last few years and its government lost control of 2/3 of its territory.
Obviously, the port and the flight base require that some level of aircraft be maintained, along with appropriate troop numbers. Which in and of itself should not result in too many migraine headaches in the region. Not compared to the presence of the Russian air defence missile systems, the powerful S-400s for example, posing a potential threat "against any targets that we would consider a threat to our servicemen", warned the no-nonsense-at-the-present-time Russian President.
The "strategic initiative" gained by the Syrian regime as a result of the Russian intervention did actually demonstrate the Russian advantage, something that the presence of the al-Quds division of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps and the Iranian-proxy Hezbollah were unable to produce between them. "There is no more efficient way of training than real combat", said Mr. Putin with obvious satisfaction, and he has given his troops combat training in places as diverse as Georgia, Ukraine and now Syria.
The Russian military, after all, earned the opportunity to play with its new high-tech military toys, to the delight of the Russian public. Which itself has gained a lesson in what can happen to a country when a disaffected proportion of its population rise up to gain unearned advantage. Should, for example, the Russian opposition begin to feel too cocky again, since none of their leaders have lately been mysteriously assassinated. The lesson to be gained from Russia's involvement in Syria can be brought home for adequate digestion.
Labels: Conflict, Intervention, Russia, Syria
posted by Pieface @ Friday, March 18, 2016
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