Putin Withdrawing Russian Troops from Syria; Troops Helped Defeat IS, Saved Assad as Pres.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to a Syrian air base today (December 11, 2017), where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and declared that Moscow would begin a withdrawal of its troops, as a result of the defeat of the Islamic State (IS), according to the LA Times website.


In July 2015, the defeat of Assad appeared imminent, as Syrian rebels defeated government troops in several battles and the Islamic State established a caliphate in Syria.


Assad's defeats meant the government controlled only a quarter of the country.


Two months later, Russian warplanes streaked through Syria's skies, hurling bombs at Assad's enemies and starting a reversal of fortune that -- more than two years later -- has forced most of those enemies to accede that Assad will remain as president of Syria.