Russian troops continue to operate at Khmeimim Air Base in Syria

By Esref Musa and Ahmet Karaahmet

KHMEIMIM, Syria (AA) - Russian forces stationed at Khmeimim Air Base in Syria’s Latakia province continued to carry out activities Sunday, despite the fall of the Bashar Assad regime.

With the Baath regime’s collapse, Russia continued to transfer its troops from Damascus, Homs and other cities across Syria to the base.

Russian military vehicles were seen entering the base and a cargo plane was seen landing there as surveillance balloons gathered intelligence and helicopters were on patrol.

Airstrips, air defense systems and other vital military equipment are located at the base.

- Russia evacuates diplomats from Syria

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement Sunday saying it had evacuated part of its diplomatic staff from Syria via a special flight of the Russian Air Force from Hmeimim Air Base.

The flight to Moscow carried some Russian diplomats from Damascus as well as some from Belarus and North Korea, it said.

The statement added that the Russian Embassy in Damascus is still operational.

Syria has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. More than 5 million civilians have since been displaced.

Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8 after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus. The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities across the country in a swift offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan