Syria ceasefire could end civil war – Obama

Obama was adamant that the ceasefire would not impact operations to destroy ISIS.

Barry Grossman, who is based on the Indonesian island of Bali, made the remarks during an interview with Press TV while commenting on Saturday, after US President Barack Obama said the US would continue its fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria until the terrorist group ceases to exist.

Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition have led to the IS losing over 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and seeing a slower inflow of foreign fighters, Obama told reporters after a meeting with the National Security Council at the State Department.

Al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, the Nusra Front, and Daesh, are not party to the agreement, and Obama has pledged to continue to strike Daesh without pause.

“More people are realizing that ISIL is not a caliphate, it’s a crime ring”.

Again, this fight against ISIL will remain hard. In Syria, a coalition of local forces is tightening the squeeze on ISIL’s stronghold of Raqqa. As we bomb its oil infrastructure, ISIL’s been forced to slash the salaries of its fighters. “We will destroy this barbaric terrorist organisation and continue to stand with those around the world who seek a better, safer future”, he said in his weekly address.

Earlier this week, Moscow and Washington, both key mediators in the Syrian peace process, announced a plan for the cessation of hostilities in Syria set to come into effect on February 27 at midnight Damascus time. “But, as we have said all along, the only way to deal with ISIL, in a way that defeats them in a lasting way, is to end the chaos and the civil war that has engulfed Syria”.

“We’re all aware of the many potential pitfalls, and there are plenty of reasons for skepticism”, Obama said. Even under the best of circumstances, the violence will not end right away. But everyone knows what needs to happen. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach areas under siege.

Obama said “the coming days will be critical” in finding whether there is a way to end the five-year-long deadly conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and displaced millions more.