Russian Anti-Terrorist Campaign Helps Damascus Regain Land - Pentagon

The Russian air campaign against terrorists in Syria has stabilized the position of the country's legitimate leadership, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman noted.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Russian Aerospace Forces' operation against terrorists in Syria has strengthened the position of the country's president, Bashar Assad, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said.

"It hasn’t changed the game for us," Dunford said, adding that the Syrian government was "in a better place" due to Russians, as quoted by The New York Times.

The general said that Assad "regained some small amounts of ground" thanks to the Russian operation, managing to regain control over areas previously besieged by opposition, including by some of US-backed groups.

According to Dunford, due to the stronger position of the Syrian government, a political solution to the civil war in the country might be more difficult to reach.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The country’s government is fighting a number of opposition forces, as well as radical Islamist militant organizations.

Since September 30, at Assad's request, Moscow has been conducting pinpoint airstrikes in Syria on the positions of Daesh (Islamic State) and the Nusra Front, terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

The US-led international coalition has been carrying out a separate campaign against Daesh in Syria since 2014 without the approval from either the UN Security Council or the Syrian government.