Friday, June 3, 2016

Russia mulls boots on the ground in Syria (Al Jazeera)

Russia is considering sending special operations ground forces in Syria, Al Jazeera quoted a former Kremlin official as saying on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly discussing deployment of special forces or volunteer soldiers to tip the balance in Syria's lengthy civil war eight months after his country first intervened.

"This is under discussion, there are plans for this," Andrei Fyodorov, a former deputy minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera.

"This is a delicate issue for our military," he said. "There are serious doubts that any participation by Russia on the ground would be favorable. [Rather it could] complicate the negotiation process and lead to further disagreements with the US," Fyodorov told Al Jazeera.

While risky, some officials think the deployment is necessary, given that the Russian intervention has not led to an end to the war. The Kremlin is interested in a political settlement that would leave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally, in control of 70 percent of Syria, Fyodorov said.

Russia appeared to have been decreasing its participation in Syria's war in recent weeks, Al Jazeera said, but it reportedly conducted airstrikes on the province of Aleppo on May 22. Russia's Defense Ministry has said that it recently stepped up strikes on the militant Jabhat al-Nusra group.

"Russia has little choice," political analyst Sergey Strokan told Al Jazeera. "It can't allow itself to lose Aleppo. It would deprive it of a trump card. It would enable the other side to regain the initiative and be forced to accept conditions not favorable for Assad."
 [i24news.tv]
3/6/16
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