RUSSIA, TURKEY, IRAN ARE ABOUT TO REACH DE-ESCALATION AGREEMENT IN SYRIA’S IDLIB PROVINCE

FILE IMAGE: Russian Military Police service members are in Syria

On Wednesday, several sources said that Russia, Turkey and Iran are about to reach a de-escalation agreement in Idlib province. It’s expected that the agreement will be agreed upon in Astana talks on Thursday.

However, sources from Astana said that many issues related to the supposed agreement were still un-solved.

Forces from Russia, Turkey and Iran will monitor the de-escalation zone in Idlib province, according to a report of the Russian state-run media outlet RT. Moreover, RT said that Egypt was intested in monitoring the de-escalation zone in Idlib too.

Meanwhile, the UK-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper claimed that Russia, Turkey and Iran are about to launch a military operation against Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib. Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups will be the main force on the ground in the spouse operation, and it will be backed by the Russian and Turkish Air Forces, according to the report.

The newspaper claimed that the operation is a part of the de-escalation agreement. The Idlib de-escalation agreement and the military operation will be agreed upon in Astana talks on Thursday, according to it.

In a related development, Syrian opposition sources said that Russian military units were deployed in Taybat al-Imam and Mahardah towns in the northern Hama countryside. Furthermore, opposition sources claimed that the Russian military established an observation center in Mahardah town.

Syrian opposition activists believe that the Russian deployment is part of the upcoming de-escalation agreement in the province. Some activist even believe that the Asharq al-Awsat report is true and these units will be part of the upcoming anti-HTS operation in Idlib.

It’s very unlikely that HTS would approve any peaceful agreement that reduces its influence in its heartland – Idlib. In this case Russia, Turkey and Iran will have to enforce their agreement on the ground, indeed.

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

Search This Blog