After the Syrian Army, backed by Russian airstrikes, liberated the ancient city of Palmyra from Daesh, Damascus’ next task is to cut terrorists’ supply lines from Iraq to Syria.
At the same time, Kurdish forces supported by the US are getting closer to Raqqa.
All of the above would bring the US and Russia into a "de-facto alliance," the article read.
That would have the effect of strengthening the positions of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to analysts.
As Moscow and Washington step up their efforts to reach a final peace deal in Syria after a ceasefire they brokered in February, their interests are converging in the fighting against the notorious terrorist group, even amid American reluctance to legitimize Assad.
A successful military campaign in Syria would be crucial for Europe which has faced an unprecedented level of terrorist threat and is dealing with an enormous influx of refugees.
"Islamic State [Daesh] seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, which it has used as a base to expand across the region and plot terrorist bombings from Beirut to Paris and Brussels," the article read.
After last year the US – and then Russia — launched military operations against Daesh, the group’s territory has shrunk by more than a quarter, according to the London-based research group IHS. Moreover, in late-2015 Russia and a US-led coalition carried out airstrikes on Daesh oil facilities, having significantly squeezed terrorists’ sources of revenue.
"They said initially that their primary goal was to go after ISIL [Daesh] in Syria, and they’re doing so now," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
He also said that the US is "accelerating" plans to move toward Raqqa. However, he declined to comment whether the US will welcome a Russian-Syrian push toward the city. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said that Russian and US military officials are discussing "concrete aspects" of possible coordination to liberate Raqqa.
