US calls rapid deployment ‘impressive’; Moscow launches first naval bombardment
Russia has built up a battalion-sized ground force inside Syria with rocket artillery and its most advanced tanks—a force capable of more than just protecting its military bases in the country, the US said while ruling out any kind of strategic collaboration in the region with Moscow.
Russia stepped up its attack on opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with its first naval bombardment Wednesday, while leaving the door open to political efforts to resolve the 4½-year conflict.
The US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Douglas Lute, said Russia’s forces inside Syria also included air defense systems and attack helicopters. Lute, a retired three-star general, called the rapid military deployment by Moscow “quite impressive”.
“We will see what they intend to do. Some of the capabilities brought to that Russian base in Latakia [Syria] suggest more than simply base protection,” he said at a news conference ahead of Thursday’s gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
He also said Russia has built up its naval forces, positioning some 10 ships in the Mediterranean. But Lute said it is Russian airstrikes that pose the greatest danger, because of the threat of a clash between the US-led coalition and Russian planes.
Before arriving in Brussels, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the US is prepared to work with Russia to ensure the skies over Syria stay safe. But he said the US hasn’t had a formal response from Moscow on that matter. He dismissed the idea of any collaboration on the ground.
“We are not prepared to cooperate in strategy which, as we explained, is flawed, tragically flawed, on the Russians’ part,” Carter said at an appearance with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti in Rome.
“What we will do is to continue basic technical discussions on professional safety procedures for our pilots flying over Syria, that’s it,” Carter said.
Russia’s volley of 26 medium-range cruise missiles was launched from four warships in the Caspian Sea nearly 1,000 miles away. It came as Assad’s army launched an offensive operation pushing north from the town of Hama, according to Russian state television.
“The intensity of strikes is growing,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting. He said all 11 targets had been destroyed and no civilian buildings were damaged.
Russia has struck some 112 targets since it began airstrikes against opponents of Assad on Sept. 30, Shoigu said. Russian officials say they are targeting Islamic State and other groups its labels terrorists, but Western officials and analysts say most strikes appear aimed at other opponents of Assad to bolster his position.
Putin said Russian forces should continue to “synchronize with the actions of the Syrian army on the ground” to support their offensive operations. At the same time, Putin said the conflict in Syria required a political solution.
“Such type of conflicts should conclude with a resolution of political questions,” he said.
Putin expressed support for the idea of trying to combine the efforts of Assad’s forces and the “healthy opposition” groups against Islamic State, which he said had been proposed by French President François Hollande on Friday.
