Russia Setting Up Military Base in Syria: U.S.

Russia is setting up a military base in western Syria, according to U.S. government officials, who are concerned about the expansion of Moscow’s military involvement in the ongoing Syrian civil war.

“We have seen indication in recent days that Russia has moved people and things into the area around Latakia, and the airbase there,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said earlier this week, as reported by CNN.

The Syrian army has repelled advances by rebel groups in recent weeks as they attempted to advance into Latakia, a stronghold of support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Last week, U.S. secretary of state John Kerry told Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov that the presence of Russian troops in Syria could prolong and intensify the bloodshed.

Australia Executes First Airstrikes in Syria

Australia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State (ISIS) on Monday, targeting an ISIS armored personnel carrier and an oil plant.

The BBC reports that Australia has been participating in airstrikes against the militant group in neighboring Iraq for the past year. Last week, former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott announced that the campaign would be extended into Syria, as well.

Abbott also declared that the country would accept 12,000 Syrian refugees from “persecuted minorities,” adds the BBC.

West to Blame for Syrian Refugees, Says Assad

President Bashar al-Assad has accused Western countries of being at fault for the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Syrians seek asylum in Europe and elsewhere, reports CNN.

“If you are worried about them, stop supporting terrorists,” he said in an interview with Russian media outlets, referring to Syrian opposition groups. “That’s what we think regarding the crisis. This is the core of the whole issue of refugees.”

Assad lashed out at European countries and the U.S. alike, accusing the latter of “willful blindness” due to its refusal to work with the Syrian government in its ongoing fight against ISIS.

Photo: Associated Press

Recommended Reads

• The Guardian: West ‘Ignored Russian Offer in 2012 to Have Syria’s Assad Step Aside’
• U.S. News and World Report: Syria’s New Capital: Istanbul
• Deutsche Welle: In Syria, a Piano Burns and a Musician is Silenced
• The Guardian: How Syrian Super Mario Is Taking On the Refugee Crisis