Putin announces Russia will pull most of its military from Syria
What Putin's surprise Syria announcement could mean
(The Washington Post)
By Michael Birnbaum and
Hugh Naylor
March 14, 2016
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that Russia would begin withdrawing the “main part†of its military from Syria, a surprise potential end to a six-month intervention that bolstered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and dealt a grave blow to Syrian rebels.
The decision came as U.N.-
brokered peace talks between the Assad government and rebel representatives got underway in Geneva. The planned Tuesday start of the withdrawal coincides with the five-year anniversary of the beginning of street protests in Syria, an initially peaceful movement that was brutally repressed by Assad forces.
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