KOBANE /Syria/, November 15. /TASS/. Russian military police have begun guarding an airfield near the city of Kobane in northern Syria, where US troops used to be deployed, a senior military police inspector told reporters.
Syrian government forces earlier took control of the airfield, which the United States had used in order to deliver military aid to the so-called Syrian moderate opposition. US troops hastily left the airfield on Wednesday and Russia’s Aerospace Forces deployed its helicopters there, while military police officers began guarding the area.
"Our unit has begun guarding the airfield and the military base and patrolling the perimeter," the military police inspector said. "De-miners are currently checking the facility for explosive devices. We don’t know what traps and surprises the former owners of the base could have left behind," he added.
Judging by infrastructure facilities at the base, it seems that US troops planned to stay there for a long time, Russian military sources said, pointing out that there were air-conditioned living units, a self-contained energy system and even a gym.
Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria Sergei Zhmurin told reporters that the Russian military "began the establishment of the Center’s branch in the Metras settlement, which would facilitate efforts to restore peaceful life." "Today, we are beginning to provide humanitarian aid and medical assistance to civilians," he added. A humanitarian aid distribution center will be set up in the area in the near future.