|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-assad-tightens-grip-four-years-war-051426500.html
Syria's Assad Tightens Grip after Four Years of War
(AFP) Sammy Ketz - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad enters his fifth year of war with an increasingly tight hold on power. Alarm over the sweeping expansion of the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria and Iraq means that international priorities have shifted away from Assad's removal. "Assad has improved his position internationally. The U.S., EU states and others are no longer demanding his immediate departure," said Volker Perthes, director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Today, the regime controls 40% of Syrian territory, home to 60% of the population.