Russia begins shipping out Syria equipment
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Picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows a Russian army pilot leaving the cockpit of a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft at the Hmeimim airbase in the northwestern Syria Province of Latakia. ©AFP
Russia’s Defense Ministry says the country has started shipping its military equipment and materials out of Syria.
According to Press TV, in a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said military personnel had begun loading the devices and materials onto planes.
“Technicians at the airbase have begun preparing [the] aircraft for long-range flights to airbases in the Russian Federation” it noted, referring to the Russian Hmeimim airbase southeast of the city of Latakia in northwestern Syria.
The move came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the bulk of Syria-based Russian military forces to withdraw from the Arab country.
The drawdown, he said, could serve as a stimulus for the ongoing peace talks aimed at resolving of the five-year deadly crisis gripping Syria.
He hailed Moscow’s nearly six months of aerial campaign in Syria as a positive step, saying it set the stage for the start of peace talks.
ME
