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Russia Deploys Nuclear-Capable Bombers to Syria for Training

In this photo taken from a video provided on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, crew members leave a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber upon its landing at Hmeimim air base in Syria. (AP)
In this photo taken from a video provided on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, crew members leave a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber upon its landing at Hmeimim air base in Syria. (AP)
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Russia Deploys Nuclear-Capable Bombers to Syria for Training

In this photo taken from a video provided on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, crew members leave a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber upon its landing at Hmeimim air base in Syria. (AP)
In this photo taken from a video provided on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, crew members leave a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber upon its landing at Hmeimim air base in Syria. (AP)

The Russian military said Tuesday it has deployed three nuclear-capable long-range bombers to its base in Syria, a move that could strengthen Moscow's military foothold in the Mediterranean.

Russia's Defense Ministry said that three Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at the Hmeimim air base, located in Syria's coastal province of Latakia and the main hub for Moscow's operations in the country.

The ministry said bomber crews would fly a series of training missions over the Mediterranean. The Tupolev Tu-22M3, code-named Backfire by NATO, is a supersonic twin-engine long-range bomber which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad's government to reclaim control over most of the country following a devastating war.

The Russian ministry said the runway at Hmeimim had been extended to host the heavy bombers and a second runway has been modernized.

Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.

As part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to beef up Russia's military amid tensions with the West, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.

The bombers’ deployment marks the first time since Cold War times that Moscow has stationed heavy bombers in the region.

About 60 Tu-22M3s are estimated to remain in service with the Russian air force, and some have flown bombing missions to strike militants in Syria from their bases in Russia.

Russian media reports said that the Tu-22M3 could be modernized to carry the latest hypersonic missiles.

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Arab World

Heavy Rains Flood Khartoum Streets, Exposing Decomposed Bodies

A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Heavy Rains Flood Khartoum Streets, Exposing Decomposed Bodies

A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Torrential rains battered several parts of Sudan’s Khartoum state this week, flooding residential neighborhoods and streets, disrupting movement, and sweeping away war debris, including decomposed corpses believed to belong to paramilitary fighters.

The rainfall began as sanitation workers were carrying out maintenance on stormwater drains. But before completing their task, the downpour caught them off guard, forcing them to begin draining the water with basic tools already in use.

Local authorities said residents in the East Nile district reported seeing decomposed bodies swept into drainage canals. Officials suspect the corpses may be those of fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controlled swathes of the capital during its year-long war with the Sudanese army.

The RSF had held large parts of Khartoum since conflict erupted on April 15, 2023. But by March this year, the army claimed to have regained full control of the city. Since then, thousands of displaced families have returned home, according to state authorities, with more returning each day.

This year’s rainy season arrives amid the devastation of war, which has crippled already fragile infrastructure, particularly flood drainage systems. Even before the conflict, seasonal rains often caused widespread destruction in Khartoum, damaging homes and public facilities and resulting in casualties.

Despite extensive water pooling in open areas, Sudan’s Civil Defense Authority reported no fatalities or property losses. “Water was drained naturally, without any intervention from Civil Defense teams,” said Major General Qureshi, deputy director of emergency operations, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Qureshi added that his teams remain on high alert, as a precaution, although Nile water levels remain stable.

Residents attempted to clear water from their homes by removing weeds and waste blocking drainage channels.

“During the RSF's control of the city, we tried to dig small trenches to divert the rainwater toward the main drains,” said resident Mohamed Elias. “But the blocked drains caused water to stagnate for months, leading to insect infestations and disease.”

Although thousands have returned to Khartoum, the national government has not fully re-established itself in the capital, which it fled in favor of Port Sudan, a Red Sea city now serving as a temporary seat of power. Khartoum’s governor, Ahmed Othman, previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government’s return to the capital would be gradual.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said over one million displaced Sudanese have returned to their areas of origin across the country, including in Khartoum.