Vladimir Putin has declared mission accomplished for Russian forces in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, as he made a surprise visit to the Russian airbase in the country. “Friends, the motherland is waiting for you,” Putin told the Russian air force detachment based at the Khmeimim airbase during his visit on Monday morning. Putin said a significant part of Russian forces would be withdrawn from Syria, though scepticism was warranted given that two previous announcements have been met with little noticeable scaling down. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vladimir Putin (third left) and Bashar al-Assad (third right) pose with pilots at Khmeimim airbase. Russia’s state nuclear company said it would build a plant at Dabaa that will cost up to $21bn (£16bn) and take a decade to complete.

Source: The Guardian December 11, 2017 16:45 UTC