Syria readies for final offensive as war 'nears end'

DAMASCUS:- The Syrian government is calling on what is left of Daesh and other terrorist groups in the country to surrender as the war against foreign-backed militancy in the country is "nearing an end."

Syrian armed forces carried out shelling attacks against terrorist positions in the Idlib Province on Thursday before dropping leaflets that warned them to lay down arms and accept the government's rule.

"The war is nearing an end... We are calling on you to join the local reconciliations, as many of our people in Syria did," read the leaflets, which were stamped with the military's seal.

"Your cooperation with the Syrian Arab Army will release you from the rule of militants and terrorists, and will preserve you and your families' lives," declared the leaflets.

After purging terrorists from most parts of the country and achieving several game-changing victories, the government of President Bashar al-Assad has been trying to negotiate evacuation deals with terrorists to save civilian lives.

The agreements grant amnesty to anti-Assad militants who are willing to live under state rule again, provided private lawsuits are not filed against them.

Damascus has been keen on scoring a similar deal with Idlib, which sits on the border with Turkey and is one of the last major militant strongholds in Syria.

A UN official says Iran, Russia and Turkey have assured that they would do their utmost to avoid a battle for the recapture of Idlib in northwestern Syria.

Assad announced last month that government forces had turned their focus to Idlib, noting that the liberation of the northwestern province was one of the military's priorities.

Iran, Russia and Turkey, the guarantors of a countrywide ceasefire in Syria, have ensured the United Nations that they will try their utmost to prevent a battle for recapturing the city, which is home to over 2.5 million people.

UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland, however, said that the world body was making preparations for a battle and would ask Turkey to keep its borders open to allow civilians to flee if the need arose.

UN also sees war ending soon

Speaking to International Syria Support Group's Humanitarian Access Task Force in Geneva on Thursday, Egeland echoed the Syrian government's view that the anti-terror battle in Syria was in its final stage.

"We are seeing the beginning of the end to the Syrian war," Egeland told the activist group, calling on Western governments and Arab regimes in the Persian Gulf region to use their influence on militant groups and urge them to stop violence against civilians.

The Israeli minister for military affairs says Syria is boosting its army beyond its pre-war size besides its liberation operations.

The Syrian conflict, which started in March 2011, has so far killed over 350,000 people, according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UN reported on Sunday that the war had cost the country more than a whopping $388 billion.

Released after a two-day meeting of Syrian and international experts in neighboring Lebanon, the figure did not include "human losses resulting from deaths or the loss of human competences and skilled labor due to displacement, which were considered the most important enablers of the Syrian economy."

Czech FM meets Syrian counterpart in Damascus

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek, who was in Damascus to secure the release of two men working for a German humanitarian group, met with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem on Thursday.

The Czech Republic is the only European country that maintains diplomatic relations in Syria in the face of the conflict. The country also handles consular services for European Union citizens and acts as intermediaries for other countries.

Hamacek's office announced Thursday that Syrian security officials had agreed to release the two German aid workers. The Czech FM and the aid workers returned to Prague later in the day.

"This is the exact reason why the Czech Republic keeps its embassy in Damascus. This is not the first case when our diplomacy helped citizens from other countries in need. The Syrian side demonstrated that this is a good will gesture from their side," Hamacek said in a joint press conference with German Ambassador Christoph Israng.

Syrian Army keeps pushing ahead against terrorists

Meanwhile, the Syrian Arab Army announced Thursday that it had advanced more than 50 kilometers into Daesh-held areas in the southern governorate of Sweida over the past three days.

Syrian army troops liberate more towns in southwestern Syria.

Continuing with their successful campaign in the region, the SAA is now working to liberate the last remaining hilltops under the Daesh control near the strategic Kara' area.

The SAA will concentrate on the liberating the al-Safa Canyon region and Kara' area in the second phase of its ongoing offensive.