(MENAFN- The Peninsula) America and Russia occupy opposite positions on Syria – the former supporting the expulsion of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime and the latter supporting its continuation in power. But both sides agree on one point – the elimination of the Islamic State. Their coordination and cooperation to reach this goal made a remarkable progress yesterday when the main supply route between Syria and Turkey used by the IS was cut by the Syrian government troops backed by Russia and fighters backed by the United States. “The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cut off the last road from the city of Manbij to the Turkish border,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. Manbij is part of the last stretch of territory along Turkey’s border still under IS control, and its fall is expected to put unprecedented pressure on the IS. In another setback, in neighbouring Iraq, the government troops are fighting for territory in an Islamic State bastion near Baghdad. There were even unconfirmed reports in Iraqi media that the IS leader Abu Bakr AlBaghdadi was wounded in US-led air strikes.
The IS is on the retreat and fighting for breath two years after the group proclaimed its caliphate in large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. Parallel to the loss of territory and control, the terrorist group also has its financial resources crippled, forcing it to cut the salaries of its fighters. If the current pace of the campaign is maintained, the group will be wiped out from its strongholds – Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. But will a loss of territory lead to the elimination of IS? It is highly unlikely. The terrorists can flee and move to other places like Europe, where they are likely to plot attacks to avenge their displacement, and also, splinter groups can continue to operate in Iraq and Syria trying to recapture their lost territory, or at least destabilize the countries.
The military defeat of IS alone is not enough to eliminate its threat. It must be followed by political solutions to the crises in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, the IS was able to fill a vacuum left by the Iraqi government. The sectarian tensions in the country and the discrimination against Sunnis by the Shia-dominated governments in Baghdad created a fertile soil for the IS to grow in Sunni-dominated areas. The Sunnis must be given protection and must be inducted into the government if the IS is to be eliminated. Similarly, in Syria, Bashar Al Assad must leave to pave the way for a transition if terrorism is to be defeated forever.