Majority of Syrians Sure of Gov't Victory in Ongoing Civil War - Poll
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Over half of Syrians believe that the government forces of President Bashar Assad will secure victory in the ongoing civil war in the country, which is an increase of 10 percent compared to 2017, a poll conducted by the ORB International research group showed on Thursday.
"Significant proportions of Syrians are growing tired of the conflict, and many think that Bashar Al-Assad will end up the victor when the war is over. When ORB International last ran this survey in 2017, 42% thought Assad was most likely to claim victory, which has now increased to 52% in 2018," the London-based pollster said.
The poll has also shown that the overwhelming majority of Syrians (69 percent) consider the actions of the international coalition in the country as highly negative, while a further 57 percent of respondents stated that the actions of the US-led coalition had an adverse effect on the struggle of the Syrian people to restore their rights.
Meanwhile, nearly half of Syrians (41 percent) noted the positive role of Russia in the Syrian conflict.
"Syrians do not see an immediate end to the conflict; although 9% think it will be within the next 6 months, 24% think it will be within 6-12 months, 26% within 1-2 years while one in five respondents (22%) think it will be more than three years," the survey has also revealed.
The poll follows a February's incident, when the pro-government Syrian militiamen have come under attack by the US-led coalition while conducting anti-Daesh operation north of the city of Deir ez-Zor. Reacting to the assault, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the attack on the militia showcased that the real goal behind Washington's "illegal military presence in Syria" is control over the country's economic assets rather than defeating the terrorist group Daesh.
The civil war has been raging in Syria since 2011. Russia has been supporting Assad's forces in the fight against terrorism, as well as regularly delivering humanitarian aid to various Syrian regions since 2015. The US-led coalition has been involved since 2014 without the consent of Damascus or the United Nations, urging Assad to step down as part of the crisis settlement.
Despite the US-led coalition's announced goal of combatting terrorism in the country, it has been regularly accused of backing Daesh in Syria, with numerous reports alleging that the US has been rescuing terrorists from encirclements and hot zones as well as relocating them from Syria and Iraq, where the jihadists have been losing ground.
According to Damascus, US air power was used on numerous occasions to rescue terrorist leaders from their imminent destruction at the hands of the Syrian army and even to stage "accidental" attacks on Syrian forces they advanced against the militants.
- Source : Sputnik
