One month after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, the redeployment of Russian forces present in Syria since 2015 is still under negotiation. Ally of the old regime, the Kremlin wishes to keep its two military bases, near Tartous and Latakia, very strategic in the region.
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From our special correspondent near the Hmeimim air base, Manon Chapelain
At the entrance of Hmeimim air basenear Latakia, sits a huge poster of Vladimir Putin. At his feet, Russian soldiers walk back and forth with their arms hanging. About ten fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) face them, anti-aircraft guns pointed in their direction. Difficult to obtain any information. Orders were given not to speak to journalists.
One fighter, Abu Haidi, finally agrees to discuss: “ There are still Russians inside. Normally, they are expected to leave by the end of the month, maybe the beginning of next month. There is also a lot of weaponry and artillery inside. They start to unload. Convoys of six or seven cars leave here, several times a day. There are also military planes, civilian planes, cargo planes and helicopters coming out of it. I imagine they are heading towards the port of Tartous, but I am not sure. »
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In total, a dozen HTS soldiers surround the base. Most are hostile to the Russians and come from Idlib, a rebel pocket long bombed by Moscow. Then, looks turn dark, hostility is felt, we prepare ourselves at any moment for an altercation. And despite some requests from Russian soldiers.
“ We refuse to have contact with them. We have very little information about what’s going on inside. Only the military operations directorate communicates with them. » According to this soldier who wished to remain anonymous, negotiations are still ongoing between the new regime of Ahmed al-Charaa and the Kremlin to find out if Moscow can keep its military bases in Syria. For the moment, neither side is communicating on the progress of these talks.
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