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            Putin Orders Pullback of Most Russian Forces from Syria

   by Jonas Bernstein

   Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of most
   Russian forces from Syria, state media reported Monday evening.

   Russian state media quoted Putin as telling Defense Minister Sergei
   Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the tasks assigned to
   the defense ministry in Syria have been fulfilled.

   "Therefore, I am issuing an order to, starting tomorrow, begin the
   withdrawal of the bulk of our military contingent from the Syrian Arab
   Republic," Putin told the ministers.

   The Kremlin's website quoted Putin as telling Syrian President Bashar
   al-Assad in a phone conversation that he had agreed to withdraw the
   "main part" of the Russian air force contingent currently operating in
   Syria.

   However, the website quoted Putin as saying Russia would maintain a
   "post" for supporting flights of aircraft involved in monitoring
   compliance with the cessation of hostilities in Syria.

   The White House said it had not seen specific reports about the
   withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria and that it was hard to say how
   this would change the dynamic there.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/putin-pullback-russian-forces-syria/3236132.html