Russian forces to start partial pullout from Syria

MOSCOW - Declaring a victory in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday visited a military air base in the country and announced a partial pullout of Russian forces from the Middle East nation.

Putin's visit marks his first trip to Syria, drawing a symbolic line under the campaign that has shored up President Bashar al-Assad's government. It is also the first visit by a foreign head of state to war-ravaged Syria since its civil war started nearly seven years ago.

Putin's brief stop at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia came days after the Russian announcement last week that the Syrian army routed the Islamic State in eastern Syria and fully restored control over the border with Iraq.