Russian military police took up a stronghold in the Syrian city of Tell Samin, near Racca, who had left the US Army unit. Earlier, about a hundred marines and military equipment were deployed here.

The strong point is located in a strategically important area at the intersection of roads that connect Rakka with the central and northern part of Syria, cities in the flood plain of the Euphrates.

“By the end of the day, the unit will be deployed, and we can say that from today we will carry out patrols and tasks to ensure the safety of civilians,” military police officer Arman Mambetov told reporters. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.

It is noted that the special forces were the first to enter the facility, then the sappers checked the territory. Only after that did the main forces begin to enter the base. The footage published from the scene shows how the Russian military, having risen on the roof of one of the buildings of the strong point, hoisted the Russian flag on it.

  • Russian military police occupy a stronghold in the Syrian city of Tell Samin

The military-occupied facility, located just 26 km from Raqqa, was controlled by US forces for about five years, which were then recalled from the SAR by decision of the White House. Moreover, according to the statement of the Syrian authorities, in parallel with the airstrikes of the forces of the so-called coalition in the city, more than four thousand militants of the “Islamic State” * were withdrawn from Rahqa.

Commenting on the actions of the Russian military police, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, called them reasonable in the current situation.

“The base is infrastructure. And if we do not take it, then opponents can take advantage of this. Everything that we now hear in the information space confirms that most countries and political forces interested in Syria have confidence in Russia and the Russian armed forces, ”the source said.

Recall that before the conflict in Syria, Rakka was one of the largest cities in the country with a developed economy and industry, and then for a long time it was actually considered the "capital" of the quasi-state formation of the Islamic State. Terrorists occupied the city in 2013, and in 2017, units of the armed Syrian opposition with the support of the United States entered Rakku.

As Vladimir Varnavsky, an officer of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Hostile Parties, said in early December, as a result of the storming of the city, his infrastructure was almost destroyed and many civilians died.

“In 2017, Raqqa’s socio-economic infrastructure was completely destroyed during an operation to liberate it from an international coalition led by the United States. Thousands of civilians became victims of indiscriminate air and artillery attacks. The city has not yet completed work on clearing the rubble, clearing the area. There is a shortage of clean water, medicine and food, ”explained Barnavsky.

This is the second strong point that the Russian military occupied after the withdrawal of American forces. In early November, units of the Russian military police took control of an airfield located near the city of Kobani in northern Syria.

Prior to this, the United States used a field airfield in the area of ​​Metras to supply its own bases and supply military assistance to the so-called moderate Syrian opposition.

Then the Russian units quickly relocated to the Kobani region to prevent damage to the airdrome infrastructure by the former "owners". Similar cases were previously reported by Syrian news agencies. So, in October, it became known that the Americans destroyed their own base in the Syrian province of Al-Hasaka.

* “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.