Syrian Deputy FM: Aleppo Siege to Lead to Eradication of Takfiri Terrorists
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad stressed that the completion of a siege by the Syrian army on the northern city of Aleppo will bring an imminent end to the existence of the Takfiri terrorists operating in the Arab country.
Had it not been for Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s continued support, the terrorist groups would not have survived in Syria, Mekdad told the Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday.
He added that the Syrian army, backed by volunteer forces and military advisers, has managed to lay siege on Aleppo in preparation for a major offensive to liberate the strategic city from the Takfiri terrorists.
The blockade of the city will lead to complete elimination of the Takfiri terrorists across the Arab country in the not too distant future, the Syrian deputy foreign minister went on to say.
Mekdad also said the international community could easily send its humanitarian aid for the embattled people of Aleppo once it is full liberated from the clutches of the terrorists.
Aleppo has been divided between government forces in the west and militants in the east since 2012, a year after the conflict broke out in Syria.
Syria is currently observing a ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States, which entered into force on February 27.
The truce was reached between the Syrian government and dozens of militant groups operating in the country. The ceasefire does not apply to the Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups.
However, renewed violence in some parts of Syria, particularly around Aleppo, has left the ceasefire in tatters in recent weeks and torpedoed peace talks on the conflict.
UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country’s pre-war population of about 23 million.