MESOP TOP OF THE AGENDA : SYRIA & PUTIN

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Russia Announces Reduction of Forces in Syria

The head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said the country would withdraw an aircraft carrier (Reuters) from the east Mediterranean following a cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition groups. In the government-controlled town of Jableh, a car bomb killed eleven people (Al Jazeera) on Thursday, according to Syrian state media. The attack was the first such explosion since last week’s cease-fire.

CFR’s Steven A. Cook discusses the roles of Russia and Turkey in Syria’s civil war in the Atlantic.