RNA - The Russian leader made the announcement at the Humeimim air base in Syria’s coastal province of Lattakia.
Accompanied by defense minister Sergey Shoygu, Putin said Russian and Syrian armies had achieved their mission to destroy the ISIL in just over two years.
He said the two countries’ forces would respond with power strikes if “terrorists raise their heads” in Syria.
Addressing Russian servicemen gathered at the base, he said, “The task of fighting armed bandits here in Syria, a task that it was essential to solve with the help of extensive use of armed force, has for the most part, been solved and solved spectacularly. I congratulate you. You have shown the best qualities of a Russian soldier.”
In the televised speech, Putin said he had ordered the military to withdraw a “significant part” of the Russian contingent in Syria. “Friends, the motherland is waiting for you,” he said. “If the terrorists again raise their heads, we will deal such blows to them they have never seen.”
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