Moscow, SANA – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Thursday a law on ratifying an agreement between Russia and Syria on the deployment of an aviation group of the Russian armed forces in the Syrian Arab Republic indefinitely.

RT quoted the media service of the Kremlin as saying that with President Putin’s signature, the ratification of the agreement has been completed.

The agreement, which was signed in Damascus on August 26, 2015, stipulates that the Russian air force group will be deployed at the request of the Syrian side at the Hmeimim air base in Lattakia province to take part in the fight against terrorism.

The law was passed by Russia’s State Duma on October 7, 2016, and approved by the Federation Council on October 12, 2016.

The Russian Air Force launched an operation in Syria to combat terrorism on September 30, 2015 at the request of the Syrian state. Thousands of terrorist targets have been destroyed since then, including weapons, equipment, shell-making facilities, vehicles, cars and tanker trucks transporting stolen oil into the Turkish territory.

H. Said