Russia has kept a considerable military presence in conflict-torn Syria to bolster the regime of President Bashar al Assad, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

"Despite the announced partial withdrawal we see that Russia maintains a considerable military presence in support of the Assad regime in Syria," he said at a press conference in Turkey according to the Daily Mail on Thursday.

A month ago Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised the West by ordering the "main part" of his forces to pull out.

Despite Moscow having signed on to efforts to promote a political settlement in Syria, US officials have complained that Russian warplanes appear to be flying in support of Syrian forces attacking rebel positions in Aleppo.

Source : MENA