Syrian, 'supporting forces' head to Russia for medical care
The soldiers will receive medical care at a Russian military hospital for wounds they sustained in combat.
A group of Syrian and allied military personnel went to Russia on Wednesday to receive treatment for injuries sustained on the battlefield, according to Syrian state media outlets.
A total of 24 Syrian Arab Army and “supporting forces” soldiers arrived to an S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy-affiliated institution in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. They will receive orthopedic, neurological and general surgery treatments on the request of the Syrian Defense Ministry, the official SANA news outlet reported.
Syrian government forces have been engaged in a war with rebel groups since 2011 following a mass uprising in the country. The tide of the war began to shift toward the government in 2015, when Russia intervened on its behalf. The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has now retaken most of the country, though rebel forces still control large swaths of the north and parts of the south.
Iranian and Iran-backed forces as well as the Lebanese military organization Hezbollah also fight alongside the Syrian military. SANA did not specify where the non-Syrian forces receiving the treatment are from.
