WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has voiced skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he had ordered the partial withdrawal of troops from Syria.
Putin visited the war-torn nation on Monday and said a “significant part” of the Russian troop contingent in Syria is heading home after their mission had been largely completed.
But Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said such declarations were not necessarily reflected by action.
“Russian comments about removal of their forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions, and do not affect US priorities in Syria,” he said.
A US official said that Putin was likely to carry out a “token withdrawal” of some aircraft, then follow up by demanding the US pulls its forces out of Syria.
The US military last week said it would stay in Syria, where it is fighting Daesh, as long as necessary to ensure the terrorists do not return.
The “coalition will continue to operate in Syria in support of local forces on the ground to complete the military defeat of ISIS (Daesh) and stabilize liberated territory, in turn allowing for displaced Syrians and refugees to return,” Rankine-Galloway said.
Syria’s conflict began in March 2011 with anti-regime protests, but quickly spiraled into a bitter and complex civil war, with Daesh just one element.
The open-ended US commitment in Syria is likely to rile Russia, which since late 2015 has conducted a separate military campaign to prop up the regime of President Bashar Assad. The size of the Russian deployment in Syria is not known, but independent Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer has told AFP that up to 10,000 troops and private contractors could have taken part in the conflict.
The EU also warned that the war in Syria was “still ongoing” and civilians were being attacked.
EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc was ready to do whatever was needed to support UN-brokered peace efforts, but warned the idea that “things can go back to normal unfortunately has no real ground.”
“Conflict is still ongoing, even if some wish to pretend it is over,” she told reporters in Brussels.
“We know very well that on the ground fighting is still going on, civilians are still attacked and we see that with our humanitarian support every single day inside Syria.”
Pentagon skeptical about Russia’s Syria pullout claims
Pentagon skeptical about Russia’s Syria pullout claims
Iraq executes a former senior officer under Saddam for the 1980 killing of a Shiite cleric
- Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Saddam’s secular Baathist government whose dissent intensified after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran
- The cleric’s execution in 1980 became a symbol of oppression under Saddam
BAGHDAD: Iraq announced on Monday that a high-level security officer during the rule of Saddam Hussein has been hanged for his involvement in the 1980 killing of a prominent Shiite cleric.
The National Security Service said that Saadoun Sabri Al-Qaisi, who held the rank of major general under Saddam and was arrested last year, was convicted of “grave crimes against humanity,” including the killing of prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr, members of the Al-Hakim family, and other civilians.
The agency did not say when Al-Qaisi was executed.
Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Iraq’s secular Baathist government and Saddam, his opposition intensifying following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which heightened Saddam’s fears of a Shiite-led uprising in Iraq.
In 1980, as the government moved against Shiite activists, Al-Sadr and his sister Bint Al-Huda — a religious scholar and activist who spoke out against government oppression — were arrested. Reports indicate they were tortured before being executed by hanging on April 8, 1980.
The execution sparked widespread outrage at the time and remains a symbol of repression under Saddam’s rule. Saddam was from Iraq’s Sunni minority.
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, authorities have pursued former officials accused of crimes against humanity and abuses against political and religious opponents. Iraq has faced criticism from human rights groups over its application of the death penalty.
