Russia Begins Troop Withdrawal from Qamishli Airport in Syria

Russia's Military Withdrawal from Syria

QAMISHLI, Syria, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Russia is withdrawing forces from an airport in northeastern Syria, moving to end its military presence in a corner of the country where the Damascus government is trying to seize control from Kurdish forces, five Syrian sources said.

Russia has stationed forces at Qamishli airport in the northeast since 2019, a relatively small deployment compared to its air base and a naval facility on Syria's Mediterranean coast, both of which it is expected to maintain.

Government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa have taken swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces this month, as Damascus aims to assert its authority over the entire country.

Details of the Withdrawal

A fragile ceasefire between the sides was extended on Saturday for 15 days.

Implications for Syrian Government

Two of the sources said Russian forces had begun a gradual withdrawal from Qamishli airport last week. Some of the forces were expected to move to in western Syria while others would return to Russia, one Russia's Hmeimim air base of the sources said.

Another Syrian security source on Syria's western coast said Russian military vehicles and heavy weaponry had been transported from Qamishli to the Hmeimim military airport over the last two days. 

Current Status at Qamishli Airport

There was no immediate comment from Russia's defence ministry. Russian daily Kommersant reported last week, citing an unnamed Syrian source, that the Syrian government might ask Russian forces to leave the base once it had pushed the Kurds out because "there’s nothing for them (the Russians) to do there".

A Reuters journalist saw Russian flags still flying at Qamishli airport on Monday, where two planes bearing Russian markings were parked on the runway.

Russia, a close ally of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad, has established ties with Sharaa since he seized power some 14 months ago. 

Sharaa told Russian President Vladimir Putin last year he would honour all past deals struck between Damascus and Moscow, a pledge suggesting Moscow's two main military bases in Syria are safe.

(Reporting by Feras Delatey, Khalil Ashawi, Mahmoud Hasano and Orhan Qereman in Qamishli; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Andrew Heavens)