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Russia says more than 300 troops helping Syria recover from earthquake

Moscow says Russian forces have been sent to help clear rubble and deliver humanitarian aid to points in the northwestern city of Aleppo controlled by the regime of Bashar al Assad.

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Russia backs Syrian leader Bashar al Assad and is a dominant military force in the country.

More than 300 Russian servicemen and 60 units of special military equipment are helping Syria in its response to two devastating earthquakes that struck more than a week ago, according to Russia's defence ministry.

The 7.7 and 7.6. magnitude earthquakes on February 6 killed over 36,000 in Türkiye and Syria, and the death toll looked set to keep rising with the odds of rescuers finding any more survivors dwindle.

The White Helments said that 3,167 people were killed in the opposition-controlled areas of the country, while, regime media said 1,414 people were killed in the regime-controlled areas, bringing the total death toll in Syria at 4,581.

"Servicemen of the Russian group of forces continue to carry out activities to clear rubble and eliminate the consequences of earthquakes," the defence ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday, referring to Russian forces stationed in Syria.

"More than 300 servicemen and 60 units of military and special equipment have been involved in the work."

Food packages and disinfectants as well as other essentials had also been delivered to humanitarian aid points in the northwestern city of Aleppo, the ministry added.

The Kremlin said on Monday that it was in contact with Syrian authorities over providing relief to areas affected.

Russia's operation in Syria

Russia, which backs Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, has been a dominant military force in Syria since launching air strikes and ground operations there in 2015 during the the Battle of Aleppo (2012-2016).

Often seen as one of the most brutal battles in the Syrian civil war, pro-regime forces retook the city of Aleppo from the rebels in 2016.

That bloody offensive was made possible by Russia’s rounds of heavy aerial bombardment, including targeting non-combatant facilities such as hospitals.

Russia further asserted its presence after the United States pulled out its forces in 2019.

SOURCE: Reuters