Moscow has deployed a military police battalion to the Syrian city of Aleppo to help reestablish law and order, according to an announcement by Russia’s Defense Ministry. The Syrian government recently retook the area from rebel forces after extended, bloody fighting.
“At the present time, the division has marched from the Hmeymim air base to the city of Aleppo to perform duties as part of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in the Syrian Arab Republic,” Defense Ministry officials told the Interfax news agency, which reports that Russian forces are expected to assist local police in restoring law and order to Aleppo.
The military police battalion will also provide security to soldiers, land-mine-removal experts, medical staff, and humanitarian convoys in the area.
Moscow stresses that the Russian battalion being deployed consists exclusively of professional soldiers, meaning there are no draftees on the mission.
