Russia beefs up presence near US base in Syria and West split on Kosovo army

The Russian-US standoff in Syria has been intensifying, thus stonewalling efforts on stabilizing the situation to the east of the Euphrates River and in the south near Al-Tanf controlled by Washington, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said in a message to his US counterpart Jim Mattis last week, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

Shoigu also voiced concerns over the growing Kurdish-Arab standoff on US-controlled territory and mass deaths of civilians in bombings carried out by the US-led coalition. He drew attention to the problem of the Rukban refugee camp, where more than 50,000 are forced to live in dire conditions. The Russian Defense Ministry is also dissatisfied about the smuggling of hydrocarbons from the US-controlled areas, accusing Washington of turning a blind eye to the problem.

However, the US Defense Department has not yet responded to Moscow’s accusations, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov noted. The Pentagon keeps saying that the Islamic State (terror group, outlawed in Russia) still poses a threat to Syria. Meanwhile, Russia’s top brass says that after all IS units are destroyed, Washington won’t have a formal reason to keep its military presence in Syria. Judging by US President Donald Trump’s statements, there are no plans to leave Syria in the near future, the paper says.

According to Syrian reports, after the US rejected Moscow’s idea to jointly ensure security near the US base Al-Tanf, Russia's top brass started equipping its military base near this region. The facility was built near Al-Zazi, in the northeast of the Homs Governorate, directly on the border of the 55-km zone around the US base. Modern air defense systems have been deployed there and heavy missile launchers are due to be delivered there soon, the reports claimed. The units, which have already repelled the offensive of the pro-US militants, are on duty there.

"I don’t think that the Russian units will be engaged in a conflict with the Americans near Al-Tanf," military expert Colonel Shamil Gareyev told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. "The Russian military is in Syria on a legitimate basis, unlike the Pentagon’s units. The Russian and Syrian forces are concentrated near Al-Tanf to ensure stability, eliminate groups of IS terrorists and help the refugees at the Rukban camp. Certainly, these steps will be aimed at forcing US units from Syrian territory by non-military means."