GENEVA (Sputnik) — "This war will not end up and it will not be won after taking over Aleppo [by government forces]. A phase of war may end, Aleppo may collapse and it will leave thousands of people killed and 150,000 refugees. Though, afterwards, the guerrilla war is likely to start, and it will be a very bad war. Those states sponsoring the opposition and many Syrians will continue fighting. This is an awful perspective and scenario for everyone, including [Syrian President Bashar] Assad and those, who support him," de Mistura told Svenska Dagbladet newspaper in an interview.
In de Mistura's opinion, both the regime and Damascus and Russia do not seek for a long-term guerrilla conflict.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry extended for three more hours the previously announced humanitarian pause in Aleppo, which would start from 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on October 20 and run through 19:00 local time.
Aleppo has been engulfed in a heavy fighting since the government forces began a major offensive on the rebel-held eastern districts of the city following the collapse of the ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States in early September.
