By Emre Gurkan Abay
MOSCOW (AA) – Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed on Wednesday Daesh terrorists have been eliminated from Syria.
Speaking at an annual briefing for foreign defense attaches in Moscow, Gerasimov said: “All Daesh units in Syria have been destroyed, and the territory has been liberated. ”
He stated that there was “no territories controlled by Daesh in Syria today”, following the liberation of last in Deir ez-Zour.
Gerasimov also noted that Russia was ready to hold dialogue and join the U.S.-led operation against Daesh in Iraq.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10 million displaced, according to the UN.