Syrian Troops Told To Stay Away From Russians, Damascus Asks Moscow To ‘Reconsider’ Syria Presence

The fall of Assad regime in Syria has cast doubts on Russia’s influence and its presence in the country. Troops loyal to Syria’s new interim government, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), now man the entrance gateway to the port in Tartus.The port of Tartus is home to Russia’s only naval base outside the former Soviet Union. The Syrian troops said they were under orders not to approach the Russian forces, whose flag still flies over a military enclave in the terminal. Inside the port Russian troops were seen loading a truck on Dec. 16. The former rebels were bitter foes of the Russians while they were supporting Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which was overthrown just over a week ago.HTS fighters told news agency AFP that two days ago a senior delegation from the new government and an Assad-era port official had met the Russians. However, when a group of local troops had approached them on Dec. 15 the Russians appeared to ready their weapons. “We’ve been given orders to stay away from them for now,” one fighter told AFP on condition of anonymity. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION2:12 “RUSSIA SHOULD RECONSIDER ITS PRESENCE IN SYRIA”3:06 KADYROV URGES MOSCOW TO REMOVE HTS FROM TERROR LIST5:22 “RUSSIA & IRAN SHOULD NOT HAVE A PLACE IN SYRIA”