Friday, December 11th, 2015 | Posted by WorldTribune
Iranian troops retreating from Syria, Western officials say
Special to WorldTribune.com
With scant few battlefield victories and the deaths of key military leaders, Iran appears ready to cut its losses and withdraw from Syria, Western officials say.
The failed Russian-initiated offensive to retake Idlib province from anti-Assad rebels supported by the West and Gulf Arab states has led to the retreat of large numbers of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops, officials say.
Iranians at a funeral procession for Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani, who was killed in battle in Aleppo. Syria.
Iranians at a funeral procession for Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani, who was killed in battle in Aleppo. Syria.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said at the recent Saban Forum in Washington that Russia had planned to seize Idlib and other rebel-controlled areas within three months. “It’s not going to happen because of the military difficulties,” he said, adding that the Idlib offensive looked to be a “failure.”
Ya’alon attributed the failed offensive to the “incompetence” of Syria’s army and “the lack of determination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
This past summer, Iran seemed intent on helping Russia preserve the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose forces had suffered heavy casualties while losing territory to a coalition of rebels supported by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others, Western analysts said.
The Wall Street Journal reported in October that observers on the ground in Syria claimed there were more than 7,000 IRGC troops and other militia volunteers aiding the Syrian regime. In late October, U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified there were 2,000 Iranian troops in Syria.
Western officials now say there are just 700 IRGC fighters remaining in Syria.
U.S. officials say the IRGC retreat was precipitated by the battlefield deaths or injuries of several top officers.
“They are losing lieutenants,” said Robert Ford, who served as U.S. ambassador to Syria between 2011 and 2014. “When you lose lieutenants it means you are losing people fighting on the front lines.”
The loss of Iranian forces on the ground could also heavily impact Russia’s plans in Syira, officials say.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a recent forum hosted by Foreign Policy Magazine that “Russia cannot afford to do what it’s doing in Syria for a long period of time.”
http://www.worldtribune.com/iranian-troops-retreating-from-syria-western-officials-say/
