Russian Air Base May Be Established Along Syrian Border With Turkey

Two US officials revealed that a Russian air base may be established in northeastern Syria close to its border with Turkey. Setting up the air base may increase the tension within the region.

A limited number of military personnel were seen by the United States, the officials revealed. The number of the personnel is similar to an exploratory party checking an airfield located in Qamishli, Syria. The Russians may be looking into how the site can be utilized in the future.

One official said they are uncertain of objective of Russia in the area, but they are closely monitoring any developments. The official also mentioned the tension between Russia and Turkey after an incident where a Russian military jet was shot down by Turkey last year. Turkey said they shot down the Russian aircraft after it breached its airspace.

Russian Air Base May Be Established Along Syrian Border With Turkey - image credit: rt.com

The developments along the border of Turkey and Syria were initially reported by Fox News. Officials revealed that the relationship between the two countries is already at an all-time-low. The situation can take a turn for the worse if the presence of Russia is increased in the area by establishing a Russian air base, according to officials.

The development along the border was described by one official as “very curious.”

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria used to control the airfield. It is located close to the region along northeastern Syria controlled by the Kurds. It is also the area where the US and coalition forces are actively battling ISIS. The region is far from the established base of operation of Russia at a Latakia air base, close to the Mediterranean coast of Syria.

While the developments are being closely monitored by officials to see whether a Russian air base will be established, it has not yet reached a stage of extreme concern.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday January 21 2016, 11:32 PM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0