UN Envoy Hopes for 'Formula' to Avoid 'Terrible Battle' in Aleppo
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The UN envoy for Syria said Saturday he hoped "some type of formula" could be found to avoid a "terrible battle" in Aleppo, where government forces and their allies are gaining ground in an attack aimed at taking back the whole city from terrorists.
Staffan de Mistura, speaking at a Rome conference, indicated the battle for Aleppo would not last that much longer, saying "the fact is that Aleppo is not going to stay that long."
"I was feeling it would be a terrible battle ending up by Christmas-New Year. I hope the battle will not take place, that there will be some type of formula," he said, Reuters reported.
Syria has been gripped by war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
