Russia will complete the withdrawal of its military contingent from Syria on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin in two to three days, Russian Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev said today in Moscow.
"I think everything will be over very quickly... The mission will be over in two to three days," General Bondarev told the newspaper Komsomolska Pravda, adding that it was about the withdrawal of planes and helicopters.
Russia has deployed around 50 bombers, fighter jets and helicopters in Syria, where several thousand airstrikes have been carried out on positions of jihadists from the Islamic State.
Russian airstrikes began on September 30 at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Putin ordered the withdrawal of the bulk of Russian troops from Syria on Monday, saying the mission had met its objectives. The first group of Russian planes left Syria already on Tuesday.
The Russian president announced that the Russian military base in Latakia province and the naval base in the port of Tartus continue to operate routinely. They will monitor the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria that came into effect on February 27, but the ceasefire does not cover areas controlled by the jihadists.
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