Report: Russia building new military base in northeast Syria
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the news coincides with tensions between Kurdish and Russian forces over the M4 highway.
Russia is building a new military base in the Kurdish enclave in northeast Syria, a UK-based monitoring group reported today.
Russian forces are making the base in Qeser Dib, a village outside of al-Malikiyah near the Turkish border. The troops installed radar and brought 12 armored vehicles to the area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Al-Malikiyah is a mixed Kurdish-Christian area. It is also one of the closest towns to northeast Syria’s border crossing with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
This part of the autonomous administration of north and east Syria territory is the location of Russian, American and Turkish military activity. Both the United States and Russia patrol the area, and the United States sometimes prevents the Russians from passing through — creating tensions. Turkey and Russia have also conducted joint patrols near al-Malikiyah.
