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Second group of Russian military aircraft leaves Syria for home base

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

A second group of Russian military aircraft has departed from the Hmeimim air base in Syria since the withdrawal of Russian troops from the war-torn Middle East country began, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The group consists of an Il-76 transport aircraft carrying engineers and technical staff, and several Su-25 attack planes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Monday the withdrawal of most of the country's air force from Syria after nearly six months of strikes against terrorists in the country. A cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States has largely taken root in the country, which prompted the Russian move. The withdrawal is being carried out in groupings, each consisting of a transport plane with personnel and equipment followed by different types of combat jets.

After crossing the Russian border, all the aircraft may make intermediate stops to refuel and receive technical checks before heading to their home airfields independently, the ministry said.

The first group consisting of a Tu-154 transport aircraft and several multifunction Su-34 bombers landed Tuesday in an air base in the Voronezh region in southeast Russia. Endi