Deir ez-Zor Victory 'Important', But Not Enough to Eliminate Terror - UN Chief

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The liberation of Syria's Deir ez-Zor is important, but terrorism will not be eliminated in Syria by these operations alone, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

"It will be an important factor, but I have no illusions that we will not eliminate terrorism just by these military operations. These, of course, are very important. To eliminate terrorism, we also need to address several of its root causes and so a political solution is also a very important instrument," Guterres said.

Last week marked the lifting of the three-year Daesh siege of the city of Deir ez-Zor and the liberation of a local airfield, which had kept more than 1,000 Syrian troops locked in since January. However, the fighting to fully liberate the area is still underway.

The successful Deir ez-Zor operation was the biggest breakthrough against Daesh since the terrorist group first launched an offensive in the province. The terrorists had been blockading Deir ez-Zor since 2014, with food and other supplies only being airlifted into the city. The group also took control over a large swath of the province of Deir ez-Zor and cut off roads to government-held districts.

However, the operation to fully liberate the city of Deir ez-Zor and surrounding area from Daesh terrorists conducted by the Syrian army with the assistance of Russian warplanes is still underway.