Putin's forces begin withdrawing from Syria

[Drummond]

Putin has now apparently got cold feet when it comes to dealing with terrorism in Syria and the region. Most surprising, this ... I find myself wondering what other plans he has for his forces, elsewhere, instead ?

That suspicion aside .... here's a report on it ....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rom-Syria.html

Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria has vowed to launch a new offensive "within the next 48 hours" as the first Russian military forces began to pull out of the country.

Hours after Vladimir Putin's shock announcement that he was withdrawing most Russian troops from Syria, the al-Nusra Front said it planned to step up its attacks and retake lost territory.

"It is clear that Russia has suffered defeat, and within the next 48 hours Al-Nusra will launch an offensive in Syria," a commander of the group told AFP.

If the offensive does materialise, it could be the first test of whether Russia will leave its allies in the Assad regime to fight on their own or else keep up close air support of embattled government troops.

The US and Britain are treating the Russian announcement with caution. Mr Putin and President Barack Obama spoke last night about what the US termed "a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria"

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Putin has now apparently got cold feet when it comes to dealing with terrorism in Syria and the region. Most surprising, this ... I find myself wondering what other plans he has for his forces, elsewhere, instead ?

That suspicion aside .... here's a report on it ....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rom-Syria.html

You can bet your LAST DOLLAR THAT THIS IS BAD,BAD NEWS FOR US.
Because he has other plans for those forces, in Europe perhaps.
Or EVEN AS A MOVE IN ANOTHER NATION WE'D HAVE AN INTERST IN IN.-Tyr

[Drummond]

You can bet your LAST DOLLAR THAT THIS IS BAD,BAD NEWS FOR US.
Because he has other plans for those forces, in Europe perhaps.
Or EVEN AS A MOVE IN ANOTHER NATION WE'D HAVE AN INTERST IN IN.-Tyr

Yes, Tyr, that's pretty much my own thinking. I'm particularly concerned for Ukraine ... having annexed Crimea, and also having 'rebels' in the east of that country .... I'm thinking he'll start to be more aggressive against that country.

I never did trust Putin ... but really ... to effectively 'do an Obama' and pull out forces prematurely .... incredible. Now, we'll see terrorist factions fight for supremacy ... ISIS v Al Qaeda, seemingly, according to what's hinted at in the Telegraph report ...

[Kathianne]

http://nypost.com/2016/03/15/the-syr...ry-about-iran/

The Syrian war just taught Putin to worry about Iran

By Ralph Peters

March 15, 2016 | 7:55pm




...

What happened?

In retrospect, it looks obvious: Putin finally met the Middle East. And unlike President Obama, the Russian czar faced reality.

Allowing that Putin could re-engage in the future, and that his forces accomplished their primary goal of propping up the regime and giving it breathing space, the announcement still came as a cold-water shock to all — except the Iranians.

Initial Western reactions have stressed the recalcitrance of Assad, who has refused to consider stepping aside. Instead, Assad’s latest pronouncements have been defiant bordering on megalomania. Putin had every reason to be fed up.

Putin didn’t go into Syria because Assad was a pal. He sent in his air power and his commandos to expand Russia’s regional influence as American power ebbed. He thought he saw a not-to-be-missed strategic opportunity.

And he certainly expected Assad to be grateful for his salvation at Russian hands.

But gratitude isn’t in the Middle East’s repertoire. As Americans discovered painfully, the region’s thanks resemble the bite of a cobra.

...

With a shudder, Putin recognized that his air campaign would ultimately benefit an emerging Persian/Iranian empire, rather than expanding Moscow’s influence. Similarly, our air campaign and special operations against ISIS, although necessary, will inevitably strengthen Tehran’s regional dominance (we gave away Iraq, but we still do the maintenance).

We’re trapped, but Putin wasn’t. So he got out.

Those of us who’ve warned of a burgeoning Iranian empire haven’t found much traction in Washington, where the current president clings to his appalling nuclear deal. And the Middle East still seems far away from the Potomac’s prospering shores. But it’s a very different deal for Putin.

Russia’s newest czar thought he was playing the Iranians, using them as leverage against US influence, selling them arms at a premium and using them as cannon fodder on the ground in Syria — while his combat aircraft soared invulnerably overhead.

But to paraphrase Shakespeare, Putin drank and only then saw the spider in the cup.

Contrary to his expectations of finding a pliable ally in Iran, he found the Iranians in control, glad to borrow his air force, arrogant and disdainful in Damascus (and Baghdad) and well on the path to dominating a vast stretch of strategically vital territory. And Iran has no interest in playing junior partner to anyone — least of all a traditional Christian enemy.

Suddenly, Putin had a vision of a nuclear-armed, radical-Shia empire on Russia’s southern flank. Those Iranian missiles that can reach Israel? They can reach major Russian cities, too.

...