Moscow: The first of Russia's warplanes to leave Syria received a hero's welcome back home on Tuesday, starting a surprise withdrawal the West hopes could boost peace talks by pressuring Damascus.
Despite the initial pullout, a monitoring group said Russian helicopters -- and likely warplanes -- which are still in Syria had pounded Islamic State group positions as regime troops pressed an advance.
UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura described the withdrawal announcement as a "significant development" for negotiations that began in Geneva on Monday in the latest push to end the brutal conflict as it enters its sixth year.
"We hope (this) will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations," he said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered the "main part" of Russia's forces out of the war-torn nation, but the Kremlin denied it was trying to pressure its long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia will, however, keep a contingent at its air and naval bases in Syria and a senior official said strikes against "terrorist targets" would continue.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman said that "Russian helicopters and warplanes, that are likely Russian" had struck IS targets around the ancient city of Palmyra. There was no official confirmation from Moscow.
Meanwhile, one Al-Qaeda linked group branded the withdrawal a "defeat" and vowed to launch a new offensive in Syria.
Putin said yesterday that Moscow's military goal had been "on the whole" completed some five-and-a-half months and 9,000 combat sorties after the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of Assad.
State media broadcast live footage of flag-waving crowds and priests greeting returning pilots at a military base in southwest Russia as a brass band played.
The West reacted cautiously to the announcement, since Moscow is yet to specify a timeframe for completing the withdrawal, and a Kremlin official said Russia will keep advanced air defence systems in Syria.
Some governments expressed hope the Russian move could push Assad to negotiate, but in Geneva both sides remained locked in a bitter dispute over his fate.
The talks opened after a temporary ceasefire between Assad's forces and opponents went into force on February 27 and has largely held, although it does not cover IS jihadists and Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the Al-Nusra Front.
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