The pullback came after the Russian daily Kommersant, citing an unnamed Syrian source familiar with the situation, reported on January 21 that the Syrian government may ask Russian troops to vacate Qamishli as part of the negotiations for Hasakah. Russia, which backed deposed Syrian President Bashar al Assad in the 13-year Syrian Civil War, had used the Qamishli airport to support joint patrols with Turkey as part of a 2019 agreement to ensure the removal of Kurdish forces from the Turkey-Syria border and monitor a ceasefire between Kurdish and Turkish forces. A Syrian foreign ministry official told Reuters that Damascus, which resented Russia’s presence in Qamishli and ties to the Kurds, interprets the Russian withdrawal as a gesture intended to build goodwill and reassure Sharaa that Moscow will not interfere in his struggle with the SDF.
Author: Dmitriy Shapiro and Keti Korkiya
Published at: 2026-01-28 22:54:44
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