RUSSIA CALLS ON U.S. TO HAND OVER ITS BASE IN AL-TANAF TO DAMASCUS

5th Special Forces Group (A) Operation Detachment Bravo 5310 arrives to meet Major General James Jarrard at the Landing Zone at base camp Al Tanf Garrison in southern Syria, 22 November 2017 by Staff Sgt. Jacob Connor. Source: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/3978211/5th-sfg-escort

On January 31, Russia’s Foreign Minister spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, called on the U.S. to immediately withdraw its troops from the area of al-Tanaf in southeastern Syria.

“We urge Washington to immediately withdraw its troops from al-Tanaf are and transfer control over this territory to the Syrian government, which could take care of its citizens as we see it can do,” the Russian news agency, Sputnik, quoted Zakharova as saying.

The US-led coalition is supposed to withdraw from its base in al-Tanaf as a part of the White House’s decision to pullout all American forces from the war-torn country. However, recent reports said that there are ongoing efforts in Washington to maintain a military presence in the strategic area that controls a vital highway linking Tehran with Damascus.

Beside the base, the US-led coalition is also managing the al-Rukban camp, where tens of thousands of internally displaced civilians are living under poor humanitarian conditions. Zakharova said that Washington is responsible for this situation.

“The full responsibility for the depressing situation in the camp is borne, of course, by the United States, which illegally occupies this zone, and secondly, deploys its military base there, regularly providing material and technical support, while not contributing to the delivery of food and medicine to the residents of Rukban. It is necessary to immediately take measures to resettle the camp,” the spokeswoman said.

Last month, Syrian pro-government activists revealed that Russia had established a military base in the area of Zazaright on the 55km de-escalation zone line around the US-led coalition base in al-Tanaf. The base is reportedly aimed at countering ISIS and pressuring the US-led coalition and its proxies.

Zakharova’s recent statements indicate that Moscow is now willing to step up its pressure on Washington over the unacceptable situation in al-Tanaf.

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

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog