Russian President Vladimir Putin says troops could relocate to war-torn country “within a few hours” if needed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to continue supporting the Syrian government in its fight against armed groups – even as some of his forces withdraw from the country.
Speaking at the Kremlin on Thursday, three days after he ordered Russian forces to partially pull out from Syria, Putin said the move had been agreed with President Bashar al-Assad.
He added, however, that Moscow could relocate its military contingent back to the country “within a few hours”, if needed.
“If necessary, literally within a few hours, Russia can build up its contingent in the region to a size proportionate to the situation developing there and use the entire arsenal of capabilities at our disposal,” Putin said, repeating that Moscow would keep a contingent at its air and naval bases in Syria.
The Russian leader also said Moscow would continue to carry out air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), al-Nusra-Front and other “terrorist” groups.
SOURCE :Al-jazeera