Daesh Still Has 'Capacity to Cause Great Harm' Despite Losses in Syria - UN

Daesh is still capable of "causing great harm" despite Damascus' success in the fight against terrorism, the UN special envoy for Syria said.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Daesh still has the capability to cause significant harm in Syria despite having suffered great losses, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told the UN Security Council on Monday.

"While we have registered that the government of Syria has made some significant advances against Daesh we also note with great concern the continued activities of Security Council listed terrorist groups," de Mistura said. "Despite losing further territory this month [Daesh] still has the capacity to cause great harm."

De Mistura specifically mentioned a Daesh attack on civilians in rural Salamiyah last week and its ongoing assault on the city of Deir ez-Zor.

The UN envoy also said that according to reports, hostilities between the Syrian government forces and armed opposition groups in such areas of Hama, Homs and Damascus continue despite the nationwide ceasefire announced last December.

On Monday morning, de Mistura briefed the UN Security Council on the new developments on political track in Syria, specifically the outcomes of the sixth round of Geneva talks that took place last week.