www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/russia...syria_n_1364835.html
Russia Troops In Syria? Report Claims Military Unit Arrives At Syrian Port

According to ABC News, Russian news reports claim that an Iman tanker carrying an "anti-terror squad" from the Russian Marines has arrived in Syria.

Al Arabiya writes that DEBKAfile, an open-source military intelligence website based in Israel, has reported that two Russian ships have arrived in Syria's port of Tartus.

However, ABC also points out that Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has denied the reports.

From the Associated Press:

The [Russian defense] ministry said Monday that the navy's Iman oil tanker arrived at Tartus 10 days ago on a mission to assist Russian navy ships on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.
The ministry says the tanker is carrying a civilian crew and a team of servicemen protecting it. A ministry spokesman wouldn't say how many troops are on board.

Max Fisher from The Atlantic Wire notes that the arrival of Russian troops in Syria would make intervention in the country "impossible":
@Max_Fisher
Max Fisher
If Russian boots are in Syria, any kind of intervention will be impossible. Risk of inadvertent conflict w/ Russia too high. Maybe the point
March 19, 2012 6:53 pm via TweetDeck Reply Retweet Favorite
President Bashar Assad's regime has carried out a brutal crackdown on the uprising that began in Syria last March. The UN estimates that 8,000 people have been killed in the past year.


Russia has vetoed draft resolutions on Syria at the United Nations and remained one of Syria's key allies.

Reuters reported on Monday that Syria's arms imports surged nearly 6-fold between 2007 and 2011. According to a report released by the Stockhold International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia reportedly supplied 78% of Syrian imports, followed by Belarus and Iran. However, El Pais notes that despite the increase, total arms imports in Syria were not much greater than those to Jordan -- a country of 6 million people compared to Syria's population of 20 million.

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Interesting development eh? Sen McCain - still want to bomb Syria?

Game, set, match for Assad/Putin

I wonder how this will set with the constant war crowd

Best Regards
Vog

And who's to say that isn't the purpose of the (need for) anti-terrorism force (if that's what it is)?

Cleve-
From a military standpoint it makes no sense. Syria has been one of Russia's closest allies for years and one of Russia's biggest arms customers.
Having Russian boots on the ground makes airstrikes against the insurgents or Syrian forces risky.
Their mere presence complicates the situation there.......

Best Regards
Vog