12 Sep 15. Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in Syria. Russia has called on the US to co-operate with its military in Syria to avert “unintended incidents” as Moscow boosts its forces in the war-torn country in what Russian foreign policy officials say is a bid to lead the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis).
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference on Friday that “we are always in favour of military people talking to each other in a professional way” because such contacts were “important for the avoidance of undesired, unintended incidents”.
John Kirby, state department spokesman, said that he did not know what Mr Lavrov was referring to when he talked about possible “unintended incidents”.
“We would welcome constructive efforts by Russia against Isis, but that cannot be a function of continued support to the Assad regime,” he said. “The most productive thing that they can do is to stop aiding the Assad regime.”
US officials say they do not know whether the Russian military build-up in Syria is designed to bolster the regime of Bashar al-Assad, to help carve out a pro-Assad enclave or to lay down a marker for a future political transition in Syria. But Russian policy advisers say it is an attempt by Vladimir Putin to carve out a central role for himself in the resolution of the Syria crisis and extricate himself from his international isolation over Ukraine.
“We are taking the initiative in this conflict, which is no longer about who rules in Damascus but who can fight the most dangerous threat, the threat of terror,” said one foreign policy official.
The move is viewed with suspicion in Western capitals. Russian special forces and soldiers from the GRU, Russia’s sprawling military intelligence agency, have long been working in Syrian territory, say intelligence officials, but while their recently ramped up presence appears defensive, the Kremlin is clearly “giving itself options,” said one.
Observers in Lebanon, Israel and Russia described Moscow’s moves as an upgrading of its assistance to the Syrian regime and a substantial reinforcement of Moscow’s presence along the coast. Two Hizbollah commanders told the FT that Russia was working on a project that they believed to be a base in Latakia, and said that in recent months Moscow had been sending in extra manpower and newer, more sophisticated weaponry.
A squadron of five Russian naval ships equipped with guided missiles has also set off to conduct manoeuvres in Syrian territorial waters, a source close to the Russian navy told Reuters news agency on Friday.
Moshe Ya’alon, Israel’s defence minister, confirmed the build-up when he told reporters this week that Russian military advisers and others had arrived in Syria in recent days. “As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that includes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and combat helicopters,” Mr Ya’alon said. He called the move “significant”.
There have also been signs suggesting that Russian soldiers could begin fighting as well. Late last month, a video posted online appeared to show an armoured personnel carrier from a Russian army unit in battle, and Russian-language commands can be heard. Women identifying themselves as wives of Russian soldiers deployed in Syria have also expressed fears in social media groups that their husbands may now have been sent on combat missions.
Mr Putin, while claiming that combat missions were not yet on his agenda, conceded last week that he was “looking at different options” in Syria.
“Russia now doesn’t seem willing to hide it — it’s more or less open policy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a formal announcement of Russian combat involvement in Syria over the next couple of weeks,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy.
Secretary of state John Kerry called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov t