The U.S. Defense Department has confirmed reports ...

2015-09-15T06:18:45.026+02:00

The U.S. Defense Department has confirmed reports that Russia appears to be setting up an air base in Syria....

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters Monday that the movement of Russian personnel and equipment into an area near the coastal city of Latakia "suggests the establishment of a forward operating base."

Western news agencies earlier Monday quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Russia has sent artillery and seven T-90 tanks to a Syrian air field near Latakia.

Late last week, the Pentagon said Russia recently sent 200 naval personnel and modular housing for up to 1,500 troops to Syria, along with artillery, a short-range guided missile controller and about a dozen armored vehicles.

Syria's ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad, on Monday called talk of a Russian troop presence in Syria "a lie."

"We have been cooperating with Russia for 30-40 years in various areas, including the military sphere," Russia's RIA Novosti quoted Haddad as saying. "Yes, we receive arms, military equipment — all this is done in line with agreements sealed between our countries. But the talk of your [Russian] troop presence on Syrian territory is a lie spread by Western countries, the United States.".........http://www.voanews.com/content/pentagon-russia-apparently-setting-air-base-syria/2963410.html

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The U.S. Defense Department has confirmed reports ...