DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (September 5, 2017) – According to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, the last remaining strongholds of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) in Syria are to fall by the end of October.
“What we are now witnessing is, in my view, the beginning of the end of the war. We must guarantee that it is also the beginning of peace. That’s the challenge at the moment,” Staffan de Mistura said in an interview on Friday.
Three places in Syria are still far from stable: Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Idlib. The liberation of the first two cities is “a matter of a few months”, the UN special envoy stressed. And if the international community helps the opposition and the government, it will be possible to hold “credible” elections in a year’s time.
The Syrian government and the Russians will probably liberate Deir ez-Zor by the end of the month, at the latest in early October,” said Staffan de Mistura. “The United States and the Syrian Democratic Forces which they support will probably capture Raqqa by the end of October.”
The third region of Idlib is full of Al Nusra fighters. It is not yet clear how this area will be stabilised.
The current situation in Syria and Iraq: SyrianCivilWarMap
