Pictured Above: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in October 2015. Credit: Kremlin.ru via Wikimedia Commons.

(JNS) During a surprise visit to Syria on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Moscow’s troops to begin withdrawing from the war-torn nation.

Putin made the announcement from Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Syria’s Latakia Province, officially concluding Moscow’s two-year military campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“The task of fighting armed bandits here in Syria, a task that it was essential to solve with the help of extensive use of armed force, has for the most part, been solved and solved spectacularly,” Putin said, commending the troops for ostensibly defeating the Islamic State terror group.

Putin also reportedly stated that the Hmeymim air base and a Russian naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartous would remain in the country.

The Russian president’s unannounced visit to Syria came as he was traveling through the region to meet with the presidents of Egypt and Turkey on Monday, according to the Kremlin.

Russia initially entered the Syrian Civil War in the fall of 2015, working closely with Iran and Hezbollah in support of Assad. 

In October, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Israel for discussions on Iran and security coordination in Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Shoigu that the Jewish state “will not allow” an Iranian military buildup in Syria.

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